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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/japantoamericasyOOmasa 


Japan  to  America 


A Symposium  of  Papers  by  Political  Leaders  and 
Representative  Citizens  of  Japan  on  Conditions 
in  Japan  and  on  the  Relations  Between 
Japan  and  the  United  States 

Edited  by  I 27  1915 

\ ► A 

Naoichi  Masaoka  :;i. 


Authorized  American  Edition,  issued  under  the  auspices  of 

The  Japan  Society  of  America 


With  Introduction  by 

Lindsay  Russell 

President,  Japan  Society 


G.  P.  Putnam’s  Sons 
New  York  and  London 
Zbe  l^ntcfterbocltec  press 

1915 


Second  Impression 


■Cbc  1ftnlcIierboct!«r  ptcBS,  Hew  ItJoth 


INTRODUCTION 


The  utterances  of  statesmen  and  other  leaders  of 
thought  in  Japan  which  are  presented  in  this  vol- 
ume as  a message  to  the  United  States  are  regarded 
by  the  Japan  Society  as  possessing  present  interest 
and  continued  importance  for  the  American  pub- 
lic; and  we  cordially  commend  this  volume  to  all 
persons  who  desire  to  secure  a trustworthy  know- 
ledge and  correct  understanding  of  the  people  of 
Japan  and  of  their  aims  and  ideals.  These  essays 
make  clear  the  conviction  on  the  part  of  the  fore- 
most thinkers  of  Japan  that  the  best  and  lasting 
interests  of  their  coimtry  lie  in  the  preservation  of 
the  historic  friendship  with  the  United  States.  It 
is  hoped  that  a wide  circulation  of  the  book  may 
do  much  to  further  friendly  relations  between  the 
United  States  and  Japan. 

Lindsay  Russell, 
President. 


New  York,  October  31,  1914. 


The  Japan  Society  was  organized  in  New  York  ten  years 
back.  Its  declared  purpose  is  “to  promote  friendly  relations 
between  the  United  States  and  Japan  and  to  diffuse  among  the 
American  people  a trustworthy  knowledge  of  the  people  of  Japan, 
of  their  arts,  sciences,  industries,  and  economic  condition,  and  of 
their  aims  and  ideals.  ” The  present  membership  of  the  Society 
comprises  about  nine  hundred  Americans  and  one  hundred 
Japanese. 


iv 


PREFACE 


In  1905,  Ex-President  Theodore  Roosevelt  of  the 
United  States  acted  as  mediator  between  Japan 
and  Russia,  which  were  then  at  war  with  each 
other,  and  as  the  result  of  his  mediation  the  peace 
conference  was  held  in  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire, U.  S.  A.  I was  then  one  of  the  newspaper 
correspondents  who  accompanied  the  peace  am- 
bassador Baron  Komura  from  Japan.  Then,  in 
1909,  when  the  six  chambers  of  commerce  of  the 
Pacific  coast  of  America  invited  a party  of  Japan- 
ese business  men  to  visit  America,  I was  the  only 
newspaper  correspondent  who  went  with  that 
party  from  Tokyo  and  together  visited  some  fifty 
different  American  cities.  ’ My  stays  in  America 
have  not  been  long,  but  the  two  visits  I made 
have  been  most  important  in  the  interest  of 
Japanese- American  relationship.  The  fact  that  I 
had  then  an  opportunity  to  observe  America  is 
still  to-day  a source  of  lasting  pleasure.  These 
tw’O  visits  to  America  taught  me  the  following 
lesson,  namely,  that  “the  Japanese  views  of  Amer- 
ica so  far  have  been  erroneous  in  the  main.  At 
least  the  Japanese  have  fallen  into  the  same  inter- 
national prejudices  as  many  Europeans.”  So  I 


VI 


Preface 


have  devoted  myself  for  four  years  in  writing 
books  on  America,  and  in  August,  1913,  have 
succeeded  in  publishing  one  imder  the  title 
America  and  the  Americans  (1300  pages).  Again 
another  book  was  published  under  the  title 
American  Expansion  (650  pages).  I expect  to 
publish  a second  series  to  American  Expansion. 

I,  however,  have  come  to  realize  that  the  Ameri- 
cans need  to  learn  truths  about  Japan  as  the 
Japanese  do  about  America.  Moreover,  what 
the  average  American  knows  about  Japan  is  far 
less  than  what  the  average  Japanese  knows  about 
America. 

What  is  most  important  in  the  intercourse 
between  one  individual  and  another  is  that  each 
understands  the  other  perfectly.  It  is  the  same 
with  regard  to  the  relations  between  one  nation 
and  another.  Most  international  differences  are 
the  results  of  the  lack  of  mutual  understanding. 
If  understood  perfectly  by  each  other,  any  two 
nations  which  had  been  quarrelling  with  each 
other  in  the  past  would  see  how  foolish  they  had 
been  to  engage  in  quarrels.  I have  already  done 
something  to  introduce  America  to  Japan.  Why 
should  I not  do  something  to  introduce  Japan  to 
America? 

I have  a desire  to  write  a book  in  English  with 
this  object  in  view.  In  the  present  work,  however, 
I have  confined  myself  to  collecting  the  views  of 
representative  Japanese.  I take  great  pleasure 
in  presenting  the  copies  of  this  work  to  the  Ameri- 


Preface 


Vll 


cans.  That  the  Americans  in  reading  this  work 
will  find,  out  of  their  open-hearted  spirit,  “the 
true  Japan”  represented  in  it  is  what  I earnestly 
hope  and  firmly  believe  will  be  the  result. 

N.  M. 


Tokyo,  March,  1914. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Our  National  Mission  .....  i 

Count  Shigenobu  Okuma 

What  Japan  has  to  Teach  ....  6 

Viscount  Kentaro  Kaneko 

The  Real  Character  of  the  Japanese  Race  . lo 

Baron  Shirapei  Goto 

Japanese- American  Relations  and  Myself  . 17 

Baron  Ei-ichi  Shibusawa 

Japan  Harbours  no  111  Feeling  toward  America  . 34 

Baron  Rempei  Kondo 

In  Rome  Do  as  the  Romans  Do  . . -39 

Hon.  Buei  Nakano 

Future  of  the  Pacific  and  the  American- Japanese 
Friendship  ......  42 

Hon.  Soichiro  Asano 

Japan  and  America  (Co-operation  versus  Com- 
petition) ......  45 

Hon.  Kikusaburo  Fukui 

America  and  Japan  always  Friends  . . 50 

Hon.  Kahei  Otani 

ix 


X Contents 

PAGE 

To  the  American  Nation  . . . -57 

Dr.  Shigeo  Suyehiro 

To  the  Peace-Loving  Americans  ...  62 

Hon.  Yukio  Ozaki 

Exclusionists  not  True  to  the  Principles  of  Amer- 
ica’s Founders  ......  64 

Count  Sei-ichiro  Terashima 

Tendencies  of  Japanese- American  Trade  . . 70 

Hon.  Kenzo  Iwahara 

Various  Standpoints  of  Peace-Workers  . . 77 

Baron  Yoshiro  Sakatani 

Outline  of  Japanese  Civilization  ...  83 

Dr.  Juichi  Soyeda 

Japan  and  the  Preservation  of  China’s  Integrity.  86 
Hon.  Tokugoro  Nakahashi 

Japan’s  Colonial  Policy  • • • • 95 

Hon.  Yosaburo  Takekoshi 

“Centripetal  Mikadoism’’  ....  100 

Hon.  I-ichiro  Tokutomi 

Japanese  Labourers  . . . . .104 

Hon.  Kojiro  Matsukata 

Socialism  in  Japan  . . . . .109 

Prof.  Iso-o  Ab6 


Contents 


XI 


PAGE 

Christianity  in  Japan  . . . . *117 

Rev.  Tasuku  Harada 

A Short  Account  of  the  Bank  of  Japan  . .127 

Viscount  Yataro  Mishima 

The  Railways  of  Japan  . . . , ■ 133 

Hon.  Takejiro  Tokonami 

Mr.  Yukichi  Fukuzawa  and  his  Moral  Code  . 144 

Hon.  Eikichi  Kamada 

The  Ethical  Problems  of  New  Japan  . • I55 

Rev.  Kajinosuke  Ibuka 


The  Spirit  of  Japanese  Education  . . .167 

Pres.  Masataro  Sawayanagi 

Religion  and  Education  in  Japan  . . .176 

Dr.  Tetsujiro  Inouye 

Technical  Education  in  Japan  . . .181 

Pres.  Sei-ichi  Teshima 

The  Virtues  of  Japanese  Womanhood  . .187 

Mme.  Uta-ko  Shimoda 

Ideographia  Delenda  Est!  . . . • I93 

Baron  Naibu  Kanda 


Western  Works  of  Literature,  Religion,  and 
Philosophy  Translated  and  Introduced  in 
Japan 

Prof.  Meizo  Togawa 


197 


Xll 


Contents 


PAGE 


Improvement  of  JapanesecCommerdal  Methods  208 
Hon.  Osuke  Hibi 

Prospect  of  the  Peace  of  the  World  . " . . 212 

Hon.  Ichitaro  Shimizu 

Japan  and  Americanism  . . . .219 

Naoichi  Masaoka,  Editor 

Historical  Development  of  Western  Learn- 
ing in  Japan  ......  230 

Ritts-zoh  Oda,  Ass’t  Editor 


Japan  to  America 


Japan’s  Message  to  America 


OUR  NATIONAL  MISSION 

SHIGENOBU  OKUMA 

[Count  Shigenobu  Okuma,  Chancellor  of  Waseda  Univer- 
sity: bom  Feb.,  1838,  at  Saga,  Hizen;  studied  Chinese  classics 
at  a clan-school,  and  Dutch,  English,  and  mathematics  under 
certain  Englishmen  at  Nagasaki;  during  the  Restoration  period, 
he  advocated  the  abolition  of  feudalism  and  the  establishment 
of  constitutional  government;  on  the  reorganization  of  the 
government  under  the  Mikado,  he  became  chief  assistant  in 
the  Department  of  Foreign  Affairs;  subsequently.  Secretary 
for  the  Interior  and  Finance;  1873-81,  had  charge  of  the  Treas- 
ury, first  as  Vice-Minister  and  then  as  full  Minister;  resigned 
this  portfolio  because  his  memorial  urging  the  Government  to 
introduce  representative  government  had  been  rejected  by  his 
colleagues;  he  then  formed  the  Progressive  Party,  the  fore- 
runner of  the  National  Party  (Kokuminto),  and  was  himself 
its  president  until  a few  years  ago;  in  1888,  the  year  preceding 
the  promulgation  of  the  Imperial  Constitution,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Foreign  Minister  and  undertook  the  revision  of  the 
treaties;  in  1896,  was  Foreign  Minister  and  Minister  of  Agri- 
culture and  Commerce:  in  1898,  Premier  and  Foreign  Minister; 
has  been  a thought-leader  and  educationist  for  the  past  fifteen 
years.  He  is  the  editor-in-chief  of  Fifty  Years  of  New  Japan 
(a  modem  historjT'of  Japan  printed  in  English),  and  of  the 
Shir  Nippon  (a  monthly  magazine).] 

The  Japan  of  to-day  is  no  longer  the  Japan  of 
Japan,  but  the  Japan  of  the  world.  What  is, 

1 


2 


Japan’s  Message  to  America 


then,  the  mission  of  the  new  Japan?  It  is  to  make 
a large  contribution  to  human  progress  by  playing 
an  active  part  in  the  great  drama  of  world-politics. 
To  put  it  in  a more  concrete  way,  it  is  Japan’s 
mission  to  harmonize  Eastern  and  Western  civi- 
lizations in  order  to  help  bring  about  the  unification 
of  the  world. 

We  sometimes  hear  or  read  the  expression  “the 
eastward  movement  of  civilization.”  From  the 
standpoint  of  Oriental  history,  this  seems  right; 
our  civiHzation  owes  very  much  to  the  civihza- 
tions  of  China  and  India.  But  whence  came  the 
latter?  According  to  many  historians  these  civi- 
lizations originated  in  the  tablelands  of  Central 
Asia.  Although  scholars  differ  as  to  the  first 
seats  of  the  human  race,  yet  it  can  be  safely  said 
that  they  were  somew’here  in  the  western  comer 
of  Asia  contiguous  to  Europe  and  Africa.  From 
this  region  hiunanity  migrated  in  all  directions, 
and  its  migrations  resulted  in  the  scattering  of 
civilization. 

As  it  was  divided,  however,  its  branches  were 
affected  by  certain  geographical  influences  differ- 
ent from  one  another,  thus  gradually  developing 
the  peculiar  features  of  civilization.  Take  re- 
ligion for  instance.  India  produced  the  profound 
philosophy  of  Brahmanism  and  Buddhism;  while 
among  the  Hebrews  were  developed  Judaism  which 
worships  the  God  of  justice,  and  later  Christian- 
ity, which  teaches  that  God  is  love.  Many 
centuries  of  separate  existence  of  the  races  made 


Our  National  Mission 


3 


the  differences  of  their  civilizations  wider,  and 
they  struggled  and  competed  to  hold  their  own. 

But  the  earth  is  round.  When  one  progresses 
to  the  east,  one  comes  upon  the  west,  and  vice 
versa.  Until  half  a century  ago,  the  eastward 
current  of  civilization  had  been  flowing  into  Japan, 
but  since  the  visit  of  Commodore  Perry,  our  coun- 
try has  come  to  meet  the  westward  current  nmnmg 
via  America. 

Now  this  new  current  is  the  one  that  originated 
at  the  same  region  as  the  before-mentioned  east- 
ward current  and,  after  pervading  Europe,  worked 
itself  westward  to  the  American  continent.  As 
it  comes  to  Japan,  therefore,  it  represents  Latin 
and  Teutonic  civilizations. 

Thus,  the  East  and  West  have  become  a con- 
tinuous whole,  so  that  one  cannot  say  where 
the  main  current  of  civilization  starts  or  arrives. 
Indeed,  the  civilization  of  each  race  has  its  own 
characteristic  features,  geographically  and  his- 
torically; in  some  cases,  the  differences  of  ideals, 
languages, etc., make  the  casual  observer  think  that 
one  race  belongs  to  a world  quite  different  from 
another.  But  according  as  the  means  of  commu- 
nication develop,  these  differences  must  gradually 
disappear.  And  a race  will  rise  which,  being 
awake  to  the  general  trend  of  the  world’s  progress, 
effects  a right  harmony  between  its  own  and  the 
outside  civilization;  if  otherwise,  it  will  fall.  The 
decline  of  China  in  recent  years  is  a good  example 
of  this. 


4 Japan’s  Message  to  America 


It  is  not  that  the  Chinese  are  essentially  inferior 
to  the  European  race,  but  their  backv\^ard  state 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  they  did  not  strive  to  adapt 
themselves  to  the  civilization  of  the  outside  world, 
which  they  set  at  defiance  with  a narrow  pro- 
vincialism peculiar  to  them. 

The  true  difference  of  mankind  is  neither  in  the 
colour  of  the  skin  nor  in  the  frame  of  the  body,  but 
is,  if  any,  in  the  degree  of  culture  itself.  It  is 
this  difference  that  distinguishes  winner  and  loser 
in  the  struggle  for  existence.  A nation,  like  an 
individual,  must  always  endeavour  to  make  up 
its  owi>  defects  by  adopting  the  merits  of  another, 
and  to  display  its  strong  points  at  the  same  time. 
Such  a nation,  and  such  a nation  only,  will  be 
able  to  work  upward  to  an  advanced  position  in 
the  world. 

We  Japanese,  standing  at  a point  where  the 
Eastern  and  Western  civilizations  meet,  are  given 
facilities  to  serve  as  interpreters  of  the  Orient, 
and  to  represent  the  former  before  the  Occidentals. 
Therefore,  to  harmonize  the  East  and  the  West 
and  contribute  to  the  unification  of  the  world,  is 
an  ideal  part  to  be  played  by  Japan.  A certain 
European  critic  has  fitly  remarked  that  the  Japan- 
ese are  eclectics.  Fortunately,  we  are  free  from 
any  racial  or  religious  prejudices ; we  have  collected 
or  are  trying  to  collect,  what  is  good,  what  is 
true,  and  what  is  beautiful,  from  all  quarters  of  the 
earth.  In  a good  sense,  we  Japanized  Confucian- 
ism and  Buddhism,  and  are  Japanizing  Christianity 


Our  National  Mission 


5 


even.  We  are  ready  to  take  every  nutriment 
we  can  in  order  to  develop  our  racial  civili- 
zation. To  brand  us  Japanese  as  inferior  because 
we  are  a coloured  race  is  a bigotry  that  we  must 
combat  and  destroy  through  the  fulfillment  of 
our  national  mission. 


WHAT  JAPAN  HAS  TO  TEACH 


KENTARO  KANEKO 

[Viscount  Kentaro  Kaneko,  LL.D. (Harvard),  Privy  Coun- 
cillor; bom  March,  1853,  at  Fukuoka;  graduated  from  Har- 
vard Law  School  in  1878;  he  began  his  career  as  a professor 
at  the  Tokyo  Yobimon  (defunct),  1878;  in  1885  became  private 
secretary  to  the  then  Premier  Ito;  was  sent  abroad  for  pur- 
poses of  investigating  constitutional  systems;  was  appointed 
Chief  Secretary  of  the  House  of  Peers  in  1890;  in  1891  he  was 
a delegate  to  the  International  Law  Conference  held  in  Switzer- 
land; in  1894  Vice-Minister  for  Agriculture  and  Commerce; 
in  1898  was  made  Minister  of  the  same  department,  and  in 
1900  Minister  of  Justice;  during  the  Russo-Japanese  War,  he 
was  non-official  representative  of  the  Japanese  Government 
in  the  United  States.  He  is  president  of  the  American  Friends 
Society.] 


“One  who  is  ready  to  learn  is  fit  to  teach.” 
This  was  a phrase  that  Col.  Roosevelt,  my  inti- 
mate friend,  used  when  President  of  the  United 
States  in  eulogizing  the  Japanese  in  a message  to 
Congress.  I may  add  that  he  clearly  saw  through 
the  mind  of  our  nation.  We  are  ever  ready  to 
learn  from  the  outside  world,  but  we  are  never 
satisfied  with  being  a mere  importer  of  Western 
civilization,  with  being  forever  a pupil  in  the 
great  school  of  human  progress.  Because  we 

6 


7 


What  Japan  Has  to  Teach 

aspire  to  teach  the  world,  we  are  inspired  with  the 
spirit  of  the  learner. 

In  our  own  times,  one  of  the  greatest  problems 
in  the  world  is  the  race  problem.  It  has  arisen 
in  Australia,  in  America,  in  Europe,  in  China,  in 
Korea — indeed,  almost  everywhere  on  the  surface 
of  the  globe ; and  the  true  cause  of  this  omnipres- 
ent problem  is  Japan’s  great  development.  Had 
our  nation  remained  a China  or  a Korea  in  its 
progress,  the  clamour  of  the  race  problem  would 
not  have  been  raised  to  so  high  a pitch.  As  it  is, 
Japan  has  emerged  out  of  her  two  foreign  wars 
as  a nation  with  a splendid  organization  and  as 
civilized  as  the  foremost  countries  in  Europe  and 
America,  imposing  respectful  consideration  upon 
them  and  breaking,  to  the  resentment  of  some  of 
them,  their  traditional  assumption  that  the  white 
race  is  essentially  superior  to  the  yellow.  Con- 
sequently, Japan  was  allowed  a membership  in 
the  council  of  nations,  which  position  had  been 
long  denied  her.  Not  all  the  older  members 
liked  to  admit  her,  but  she  demanded  such  admis- 
sion from  them  on  the  strength  of  her  achievement 
and  was  given  it.  For  scores  of  years  they  had 
been  revelling  among  themselves  with  self-con- 
gratulation on  white  superiority;  but  now,  much 
to  their  disillusionment,  they  found  yellow  Japan 
squeezing  herself  in.  The  newcomer  was  no 
different  from  the  rest  in  all  the  refinements  of 
contemporary  civilization,  was  qiiite  prepared  to 
associate  with  them  on  equal  terms;  only  she  was 


8 Japan’s  Message  to  America 


of  a yellow  race.  This  slight  physical  difference, 
however,  loomed  very  large  in  the  eyes  of  the 
white  members,  who  wondered  at,  and  then  were 
affected  disagreeably  by,  the  little  stranger.  Nor 
was  their  repugnance  to  Japan  the  least  imna- 
tural,  as  the  most  innocent  swans  might  feel  the 
same  against  a crow  flapping  into  their  flock. 
Racial  antipathy  is  only  a spontaneous  phenome- 
non of  human  psychology.  But,  nevertheless, 
the  progress  of  man,  of  civilization,  is,  in  a sense, 
a systematic  restraint  of  his  innate  propensities, 
and  if  so,  the  racial  feeling,  among  others,  must 
be  controlled  and  suppressed  by  all  means.  Young 
Japan  is  coping  with  modem  learning  just  as 
young  America,  yoimg  England,  young  France, 
or  young  Germany  is  doing.  In  the  matter  of 
intellectual  life,  our  second  generation  is  xmder 
the  same  process  of  fermentation  as  that  of  every 
other  civilized  nation.  Supposing  that  the  Japan 
of  to-day  is  not  on  an  equal  basis  with  her  white 
competitors?  The  Japan  of  to-morrow  will  be, 
in  all  probability.  If,  therefore,  there  is  anything 
she  has  to  teach  them,  it  is  the  fact  that  mankind 
is  a one  and  undi visible  whole,  that  the  yellow 
race  is  not  inferior  to  the  white,  that  all  the  races 
should  co-operate  in  perfect  harmony  for  the 
development  of  the  world’s  civilization.  We 
have  obtained  a voice  in  the  Parliament  of  Man 
at  the  cost  of  blood  and  money ; we  must  use  that 
new  right  to  good  purpose. 

The  exchange  of  professors  between  America 


What  Japan  Has  to  Teach 


9 


and  Japan  has  already  proved  a success  in  remov- 
ing some  groimdless  prejudices  and  foolish  mis- 
understandings. We  wish  America  to  send  many 
more  Mabies  to  interpret  their  nation  to  us  and 
study  things  Japanese  for  their  fellow-citizens. 
We  expect  free  and  democratic  America  to  be  one 
of  the  most  trustworthy  friends  to  help  our  cause. 
But  after  all,  one  has  to  take  care  of  one’s  self, 
and  we  must,  by  our  own  exertion,  teach  the 
Occidentals  out  of  their  prejudices,  while  we  must 
continue  to  learn  from  them.  Upon  the  solution 
of  the  race  problem,  the  future  of  Japan,  nay,  the 
future  of  human  progress,  largely  depends. 

The  last  advice  that  Alexander  Hamilton  re- 
ceived from  his  mother  on  her  death-bed — and 
it  is  the  best  and  greatest  advice,  in  my  opinion, 
that  a son  has  ever  been  given  by  a parent — has 
been  my  own  constant  guide,  since  I,  in  my  boy- 
hood, read  the  words  in  the  Hfe  of  Hamilton.  And 
to-day,  to  young  Japan,  upon  whose  shoulders 
rests  the  heavy  responsibility  of  teaching  the 
Occidentals,  do  I give  the  same  advice.  It  is 
this:  “My  son,  never  aim  at  the  second  best. 
It  is  not  worthy  of  you.  Your  powers  are  in 
harmony  with  the  everlasting  principle  of  the 
universe.” 


THE  REAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE 
JAPANESE  RACE 


SHIMPEI  GOTO 

[Baron  Shimpei  Goto,  ex-Minister  of  Communications  and 
ex-President  of  the  Imperial  Railway  Board;  bom  Miyagi 
Prefecture,  July,  1857;  was  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Berlin  with  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1892;  at  the  early 
age  of  20,  he  was  physician  at  the  Aichi  Prefectural  Hospital, 
also  instractor  at  the  Prefectural  Medical  School;  after  four 
years  of  distinguished  services,  was  promoted  director  of  the 
hospital  as  well  as  the  school;  in  1883  became  acting  Director 
of  the  Sanitary  Bureau,  Home  Department;  on  his  return 
from  an  ofiScial  tour  to  Germany,  he  was  appointed  Director 
of  the  Sanitary  Bureau,  1892;  during  the  Japan-China  War, 
was  on  the  Sanitary  Commission  of  the  Army;  after  the  war, 
was  singled  out  by  the  late  General  Kodama  and  appointed 
Director  of  the  Civil  Administration  Bureau  of  the  Formosan 
Government;  during  his  tenure  of  the  directorship,  he  made 
large  contributions  to  the  Insular  development;  was  created 
baron  in  1906  and  given  a seat  in  the  House  of  Peers:  in  1906 
became  the  first  president  of  the  South  Manchuria  Railway 
Co.;  in  1908  Minister  of  Communications;  resigned  August, 
1912;  held  the  portfolio  again,  Dec.  12,  1912-Feb.  13,  1913. 
He  is  the  translator  of  several  German  books  on  politics.]] 

The  real  character  of  the  Japanese  race  is  not 
yet  understood  by  the  world.  It  is  a trite  saying 
that  Occidental  civilization  is  based  on  Christi- 
anity, while  the  Oriental  has  Buddhism  and 

10 


Real  Character  of  the  Japanese  Race  ii 


Confucianism  as  its  foundation.  Geographically, 
Japan  belongs  to  the  Orient,  but  she  is  no  common 
Oriental  country.  Every  nation  in  the  world  has 
its  general  characteristics  and  its  peculiarities, 
and  Japan  is  richest  in  the  latter,  presumably  as 
a result  of  her  insular  position,  which  allowed  her 
to  grow  up  without  many  foreign  influences.  In 
respect  to  ideals,  customs,  and  manners,  therefore, 
she  differs  so  much  from  other  civilized  countries, 
that  she  has  often  incurred  their  misunderstanding. 

Although  she  has  many  institutions  analogous 
to  those  of  foreign  countries,  it  would  be  difficult 
to  understand  Japan  without  a knowledge  of  the 
principle  that  has  been  guiding  the  development 
of  her  civilization.  This  principle  is  what  we  call 
“Yamato  Damashii.” 

The  wisdom  of  this  world  is  fooHshness.  Scholars 
adhere  to  letters  too  much  to  grasp  the  truth  of 
the  universe;  veiy^  often  it  is  simple  men,  without 
letters,  who  can  read  the  Word.  In  this  sense, 
the  learned  are  only  vassals  of  the  Creator:  the 
simple  are  His  immediate  attendants.  The  foun- 
dation of  Japan  was  laid  by  the  Emperor  Jimmu, 
an  immediate  attendant  of  the  Creator,  and  the 
house  has  been  added  to  by  the  learned  in  later 
years.  Buddhism  and  Confucianism,  it  is  true, 
made  large  contributions  to  our  civilization,  but 
there  was  “Yamato  Damashii”  in  the  beginning. 
For  the  Japanese  nation  assimilated  their  teach- 
ings, rather  than  the  teachings  assimilated  the 
Japanese  nation.  That  Confucianism  made  a 


12 


Japan’s  Message  to  America 


great  development  here  is  an  illustration  of  this. 
Had  the  great  Chinese  philosopher  been  reborn 
in  Japan  centuries  later,  he  would  have  been 
amazed  by  the  elaboration  that  his  own  theories 
had  received  at  our  hands.  Also,  it  is  no  exagger- 
ation to  say  that  Buddhism  has  been  brought  to 
successful  completion  in  this  country;  Buddhism, 
as  it  exists  in  Japan  to-day,  is  a system  of  faith 
widely  different  from  the  so-called  “Primitive 
Buddhism.” 

“Yamato  Damashii”  has  caused  Japanese 
civilization  to  make  a peculiar  growth.  Western- 
ers are  apt  to  despise  it  as  inferior  to  their  own, 
or  to  be  astonished  by  it  as  a mysterious  phe- 
nomenon; but  both  their  contempt  and  wonder 
are  simply  due  to  their  lack  of  knowledge  of  Japan- 
ese history.  The  substantial  difference  between 
Western  civilization  and  ours  consists  in  the 
difference  of  the  process  of  development. 

Let  me  illustrate  this  by  religious  art.  In  the 
Occident,  after  laborious  study  from  the  scientific 
point  of  view,  art-critics  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  masterpieces  of  religious  art  can  be  produced 
only  by  very  devout  workers.  This,  however, 
the  ancient  Japanese  artists  knew  by  intuition; 
it  was  a tradition  among  them  that  sacred  Bud- 
dhistic paintings  and  sculptures  could  not  be 
made  without  ablutions. 

Those  who  are  fond  of  Japanese  objects  of 
virtu  may  have  heard  of  a sort  of  mask  called 
“d6m6-no-men.”  The  lineage  of  the  first  pro- 


Real  Character  of  the  Japanese  Race  13 


ducer  of  such  masks  has  lasted  for  more  than  ten 
generations  up  to  the  present  day,  and  there  is  a 
secret  precept  governing  the  traditional  trade  of 
the  family.  It  is  this,  “Use  not  a foot-measure: 
it  kills  thy  work.”  An  artisan  laying  aside  a 
measure!  He  is  what  we  call  “an  immediate 
attendant  of  the  Creator”:  he  symbolizes  Japan- 
ism,  the  peculiar  civilization  of  Japan.  It  is  the 
spirit  embodied  in  the  words  just  quoted,  that 
has  assimilated  everything  that  has  come  into 
Japan.  Here  lies  a salient  feature  of  her  nation- 
ality. 

We  are  sometimes  branded  as  a bellicose  people, 
as  a dangerous  people.  The  more  outspoken 
shout  “yellow  peril,”  as  though  we  were  an  enemy 
of  humanity  and  civilization.  The  Red  Cross  am- 
bulance service,  as  it  exists  to-day,  was  organized 
according  to  the  Geneva  Convention  of  1863;  and 
it  may  interest  the  merciless  critics  of  Japan  to 
know  that  the  principle  of  this  humanitarian 
institution  was  observed  by  Japanese  themselves 
in  the  eleventh  century.  Between  1050  and  1080, 
we  waged  two  long  wars — the  Former  Nine  Years’ 
War  and  Later  Three  Years’  War,  as  they  are 
called  in  Japanese  history — with  the  barbarians 
in  the  north-eastern  districts  of  Honshu;  and  it 
is  a fine  episode  of  the  latter  war,  that  our  com- 
mander-in-chief, Hachiman-Taro-Yoshiiye,  ex- 
changed extempore  odes  with  the  enemy’s  general 
on  the  battle-field  with  the  result  that  our  war- 
riors, touched  by  Yoshiiye’s  lines,  stayed  their 


14  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


arrows  and  saved  their  enemy  who  were  beginning 
to  flee.  According  to  some  historians,  this  episode 
is  a fiction;  be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  a good  proof 
of  established  humanity  in  ancient  Japan,  that 
Yoshiiye  was  deified  as  a god  of  mercy  and  valour, 
and  that  many  shrines  have  been  dedicated  to  his 
memory  throughout  the  Empire. 

I once  climbed  Mount  Koya,  and  on  the  sum- 
mit saw  an  old  stone  monument,  about  six  feet 
high  and  about  two  feet  six  inches  wide.  It  had 
been  erected  by  Shimazu-Yoshihiro  and  his  son, 
who  had  been  attached  to  Taiko  Hideyoshi’s 
expedition  to  Korea.  The  inscription  read  on 
one  side:  “In  — th year  of  Keicho  [1596-1614],  we 
cut  off  tens  of  thousands  of  heads”;  on  the  other 
side:  “May  the  persons  killed  in  battle,  both  on 
our  side  and  the  enemy’s,  enter  Nirvana.”  To 
erect  a monument  for  the  enemy’s  killed  and  pray 
for  them,  as  much  as  to  nurse  the  enemy  in  distress, 
was  a fine  flower  of  human  feeling.  This  Shimazu 
must  be  said  to  have  forestalled,  if  not  out- 
nigh  tingaled,  Nightingale. 

Further,  let  me  explain  Japanese  humanitarian- 
ism  by  one  of  our  greatest  romances.  I refer  to 
the  Hakkenden  by  Kyokutei  Bakin.  It  has  been 
often  claimed  that  this  man-of-letters  does  not 
seem  small  before  even  Goethe,  Hugo,  or  Shake- 
speare. Unfortunately  enough,  his  name  is  little 
known  abroad,  because  Japanese  literature  has 
not  yet  been  well  introduced  to  the  world.  Should 
it  come,  as  it  probably  will,  to  be  studied  by  the 


Real  Character  of  the  Japanese  Race  15 


West,  Bakin  will  win  as  much  admiration  as  these 
his  compeers.  However  it  may  be,  he  is,  in  my 
judgment,  a great  thinker  as  well  as  a great  author. 
Well,  the  Hakkenden  introduces  to  us  Inuye- 
Shimbei-Masashi,  who  always  carries  in  his  pocket 
a drug  that  he  has  received  from  the  Lady  Fuse- 
Hime,  an  idealized  person,  and  which  has  a won- 
derful effect,  by  the  divine  favour  of  Kannon 
(the  Buddhisattva  of  mercy),  not  only  to  heal 
woimds  but  also  to  restore  to  life  anybody  who 
has  died  of  wotmds.  The  drug  is,  moreover, 
inexhaustible.  By  the  right  use  of  this  mysterious 
remedy,  the  brave  and  benevolent  Shimbei  saves 
many  of  his  foes  besides  his  comrades,  in  the  course 
of  his  interesting  adventures.  That  he  discovers 
the  dead  body  of  an  enemy  on  a river  near  the 
hills  of  Kono-dai  (several  miles  from  Tokyo)  and 
applies  his  drug  to  resuscitate  him,  is  a passage 
in  the  romance  famous  for  its  pathos. 

If  the  ideal  of  the  Red  Cross  Society  is  to  save 
friends  and  foes  without  discrimination,  it  has 
been  handed  down  among,  and  has  been  realized 
by,  our  nation,  for  many  centuries.  To  call  us  a 
warlike  people  is  a serious  error,  which  is  due  to 
Western  ignorance  of  the  real  character  of  the 
Japanese. 

Again,  some  think  that  our  civilization  is  a 
superficial  imitation  of  the  Occidental;  but  there 
are  many  facts  that  stand  against  such  an  opinion. 
That  Japan  has  had  humanitarianism  propagated 
among  her  people  from  ancient  times,  is  one ; that 


1 6 Japan’s  Message  to  America 

she  had  a written  constitution  early  in  the  seventh 
century,  is  another.  Those  Westerners  who  sup- 
pose that  the  present  Japanese  constitution  was 
created  in  a day  by  imitating  the  European  instru- 
ments, would  do  well  to  learn  the  fact  that,  in 
604  A.D.,  Shotoku-Taishi,  a prince  imperial, 
framed  a national  constitution  based  on  the  family 
system.  It  is  true  that,  in  many  respects,  it  was 
different  from  that  now  in  force ; but  we  may  safely 
argue  that  the  older  document  had  not  a few 
merits  in  its  way. 

We  are,  of  course,  great  admirers  of  Western 
civiHzation.  In  a sense,  however,  we  can  charge 
it  with  the  destruction  of  the  beauties  of  our  cul- 
ture. The  Japanese  race,  which  has  long  flour- 
ished in  its  isolated  condition,  has  had  a peculiar 
process  of  development,  as  “immediate  attendants 
of  the  Creator”;  and  it  is  a great  pity  that  its 
real  character  should  not  have  been  clearly 
understood  by  the  Western  peoples. 


JAPANESE-AMERICAN  RELATIONS  AND 
MYSELF 

EI-ICHI  SHIBUSAWA 

[Baron  Ei-ichi  Shibusawa,  president  of  the  First  Bank  and 
of  the  Imperial  Theatre  Company,  Chairman  of  the  Tokyo 
Bankers’  Association,  Director  of  the  Tokyo  Alms-House; 
bom  March  1840  in  Saitama;  studied  by  himself;  visited 
Europe,  1867-68,  as  companion  to  one  of  the  Tokugawa 
princes;  in  1869  became  a councillor  in  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment; 1873  resigned  the  post  in  consequence  of  a conflict  of  view 
with  his  Minister;  from  that  time  until  now,  he  has  consis- 
tently kept  aloof  from  government  service;  in  1873  was  founder 
of  the  First  Bank;  shortly  afterwards  he  established  a com- 
mercial school,  which  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in  Japan,  and 
which  laid  the  foundation  of  the  present  Tokyo  Higher  Com- 
mercial School;  in  1878,  with  the  assistance  of  Count  Okuma 
and  the  late  Prince  Ito,  he  instituted  the  Tokyo  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  was  its  Chairman  till  the  spring  of  1905; 
in  1902  he  travelled  extensively  through  Europe  and  America 
to  study  commercial  and  industrial  affairs;  in  1909  he  came 
to  the  United  States  again  aa  the  head  of  the  Japanese  Com- 
mercial Commission.] 

For  peculiar  reasons  my  interest  in  America  has 
been  of  many  years’  standing.  When  Commodore 
Perry  entered  the  harbour  of  Uraga  in  1852  I was 
fourteen  years  old.  A mere  farmer  boy  I could 
not  know  much  about  foreign  countries.  In  that 
a ^7 


1 8 Japan’s  Message  to  America 


year  I was  taken  to  Tokyo  for  a visit  by  my 
parents. 

From  childhood  I was  taught  to  read  the  Chinese 
classics  and  have  learned  the  Confucian  precept, 
that  it  is  a man’s  duty  “to  look  after  character,  to 
adjust  his  household  affairs,  to  rule  the  country 
properly,  and  to  make  peace  with  the  world.” 
That  has  been  my  lifelong  motto.  Presently 
various  diplomatic  problems  arose  and  the  patriots 
of  Japan  were  busily  engaged  in  their  solution. 
As  I had  already  been  deeply  impressed  in  my 
childlike  mind  by  the  commotions  in  Edo,  as 
Tokyo  was  then  called,  due  to  the  presence  of 
Commodore  Perry  in  Japanese  waters,  the  agita- 
tion caused  by  the  diplomatic  issues  in  the  next 
few  years  made  a strong  impression  upon  my  mind. 
So,  naturally,  America  entered  deeply  in  my  mind, 
first  of  all  foreign  nations. 

To  be  sure,  America  is  not  the  only  country  with 
which  we  had  diplomatic  relations.  England, 
France,  Germany,  Russia,  and  others  also  came  to 
establish  diplomatic  relations  with  us,  and  these 
countries  sent  their  representatives  to  Japan. 
So  our  diplomatic  relations  were  not  confined  to 
America.  But,  as  I have  said,  America  entered 
my  childlike  mind  first,  and  America  echoes 
sharply  in  my  mind  now. 

America’s  diplomatic  relations  with  Japan  were 
opened  by  Commodore  Perry  and  then  advanced 
by  Consul-General  Townshend  Harris,  who  came 
later  and  concluded  the  Treaty  of  Shimoda  in  a 


Japanesc-American  Relations  19 


sympathetic  spirit  toward  Japan.  I did  not 
know  these  affairs  very  well  then ; but  as  I made  a 
study  of  the  diplomatic  situation,  these  things 
were  gradually  brought  to  my  mind.  There  was  a 
Dutchman  named  Heusken  who  was  connected 
with  the  Consul-General’s  service,  who  could  speak 
Japanese  fluently.  This  man  was  assassinated  by 
a man  connected  with  the  anti-foreign  movement. 
This  incident  incited  the  ministers  from  foreign 
countries  to  take  a vigorous  attitude  toward 
Japan.  They  removed  the  legations  from  Tokyo 
to  Yokohama,  where  the  troops  had  been  landed 
from  the  w'ar  vessels.  Consul  Harris  took  an 
independent  position.  He  maintained  that  the 
attitude  of  the  other  foreign  representatives  was 
an  outrage  to  Japan,  that  they  were  treating  Japan 
as  a savage  country,  and  that  Japan  should  be 
treated  with  courtesy  and  be  permitted  to  save 
her  face.  He  remained  in  the  American  Legation 
in  Tokyo  (I  remember  it  was  in  Zempukuji  Temple 
in  Azabu-ku),  in  the  midst  of  rough-hands.  This 
incident  won  for  America  the  goodwill  of  Japan. 
Commodore  Perry,  also,  was  courteous  in  his  deal- 
ings with  the  officials  of  the  Japanese  Government 
when  making  the  treaty.  Although  he  was  in 
some  respects  firm  in  his  attitude,  almost  to  the 
point  of  roughness,  yet  he  maintained  a respectful 
attitude  comporting  with  the  dignity  of  an  Ameri- 
can representative.  But  the  attitude  of  Consul- 
General  Harris  w’as  very  different  from  that  of 
Commodore  Perry.  He  was  very  sympathetic 


20 


Japan’s  Message  to  America 


and  reasonable  to  the  extreme.  This  impression 
is  not  only  mine,  but  others  of  my  cormtrymen  who 
took  a little  interest  in  diplomacy  still  remember 
it  to-day. 

Ever  since  then,  Japanese  diplomacy  toward 
America  has  been  conducted  favourably  and  with- 
out a hitch.  For  instance,  as  the  result  of  the 
Shimonoseki  affair,  different  nations  demanded 
an  indemnity.  America,  however,  retiumed  her 
share  of  the  indemnity  to  Japan.  This  fact  also 
has  shown  that  America  was  friendly  toward  us. 

As  I have  said,  Japan’s  diplomatic  attitude  was 
anti-foreign.  The  Tokugawa  Shogtm’s  court  held 
an  open-door  policy.  The  Imperial  court  in  Kyoto 
and  the  courts  of  the  daimyos  were  full  of  anti- 
foreign  spirit.  After  the  restoration  of  the  Imperial 
power  and  the  era  was  changed  into  Meiji,  the 
Japanese  Government  decided  upon  the  poHcy  of 
the  open-door,  those  who  had  been  opposed  to  it 
having  withdrawn  their  opposition.  In  Meiji 
4 (1871),  when  the  Japanese  envoy  was  sent 
abroad,  he  and  his  retinue  went  to  America  first. 
They  were  welcomed  with  open  arms  by  the 
Americans.  This  fact  also  made  a good  impres- 
sion upon  the  Japanese  people.  Japanese- Ameri- 
can relations  have  gradually  improved,  not  only 
in  the  use  of  diplomatic  language  or  in  matters 
of  formality,  but  also  in  matters  of  commimi- 
cations  and  commerce.  The  trade  between  the 
two  nations  increased  a great  deal  in  imports  and 
exports. 


Japanese- American  Relations  21 

Now,  America  is  a great  deal  larger  in  area  than 
Japan,  and  the  population  is  small  in  proportion 
to  the  area.  Naturally  the  Japanese  migrated 
toward  the  western  or  Pacific  coast  of  America, 
where  the  soil  is  fertile  and  the  climate  pleasant. 
The  xmbroken  land  was  waiting  for  the  hands  of 
men.  So  the  relations  of  the  land  with  the  immi- 
grants were  like  those  of  water  and  fish.  These 
Japanese  were  engaged  in  various  occupations, 
and  many  of  them  were  reported  as  prospering. 
These  manifestations,  I thought,  would  be  for 
the  good  of  both  countries,  inasmuch  as  they  would 
help  to  promote  trade  and  facilitate  the  intercourse 
between  the  peoples,  so  that  men  needing  oppor- 
tunity to  work  and  the  land  needing  the  workers, 
would  help  each  other. 

I went  to  Europe  for  the  first  time  in  the  days 
of  the  Tokugawa  Shoguns.  I was  in  France  for 
a year,  and  went  through  the  other  countries  of 
Europe.  But  at  that  time  I did  not  go  to  America. 
In  1902  I went  to  America  for  the  first  time.  As 
I have  said,  I have  heard  about  and  taken  a great 
interest  in  America  since  I was  fourteen  years  old, 
have  watched  with  particular  care  the  develop- 
ment of  the  diplomatic  relations  with  that  country, 
and,  besides,  the  relations  so  far  have  been  under- 
going a normal  growth.  So,  although  I had  not 
set  foot  upon  American  soil,  the  word  “America” 
sounded  in  my  ears  very  pleasantly.  Now,  when 
for  the  first  time  I saw  with  my  own  eyes  the  land 
of  America,  my  joys  were  so  great  that  I felt  as 


22  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

if  I were  in  my  own  native  town.  Landing  in 
San  Francisco,  I took  a great  interest  in  various 
affairs  and  things  with  which  I came  in  contact. 
There  was,  however,  one  thing  which  gave  me  an 
unpleasant  impression.  It  was  a sign  in  front  of 
the  natatorium  in  the  Golden  Gate  Park,  which 
read  “Japanese  are  not  admitted.”  That  sign 
was  a great  puzzle  to  me,  who  entertained  a 
pleasant  view  of  America.  The  Japanese  Consul 
in  San  Francisco  then  was  ]Mr.  Risaburo  Uyeno. 
I asked  him  what  was  the  reason  for  that  sign. 
He  explained  to  me  that  the  children  and  young 
men  among  the  Japanese  immigrants  there  had 
formerly  been  allowed  in  the  natatorium,  but  some 
of  them  had  annoyed  the  American  women  and 
girls.  When  I heard  this  explanation  I was 
ashamed  of  my  countrymen  there.  But  that 
was  only  the  result  of  the  mischiefs  of  our  yotmg 
men.  I thought,  if  such  a small  thing  could  lead 
to  a discriminatory  treatment  of  our  countrymen, 
what  would  the  result  be,  if  the  mutual  antipathy 
should  grow,-  seeing  that  there  already  existed 
such  antipathy  between  the  Orientals  and  Occi- 
dentals? It  might  bring  serious  trouble  between 
the  tw’o  nations.  I requested  of  our  Consul  that 
he  in  his  official  capacity  take  good  care  that  no 
such  trouble  be  brought  betw’een  the  two  peoples. 
With  that  request,  I parted  from  him.  That  was 
in  the  early  part  of  June,  1902.  Then  I went  to 
Chicago,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Washing- 
ton. In  Washington  I had  the  opportunity  of 


Japanese-American  Relations  23 

meeting  President  Roosevelt.  He  praised  to  me 
the  Japanese  army,  the  art,  and  other  things  of 
Japan.  He  said: 

“The  Japanese  soldiers  are  not  only  full  of 
valour  and  of  knowledge  of  military  science,  but 
also  they  are  very  humane,  have  self-restraint, 
and  are  honest.  I learned  those  things  about 
them  at  the  time  of  the  Boxer  Uprising  in  China, 
when  the  Japanese  soldiers  took  military  action 
side  by  side  with  the  American  soldiers,  in  which 
the  former  showed  themselves  to  be  in  the  trim 
of  efficiency.  I have  a great  admiration  and  re- 
spect for  them.” 

Regarding  Japanese  art,  he  said  there  is  some- 
thing in  it  which  is  peculiarly  Japanese,  which 
Europeans  or  Americans  could  not  hope  to  accom- 
plish. I replied: 

“Mr.  President,  I am  a business  man  and  not 
an  artist;  and  I know  very  little  about  military 
matters.  You  have  praised  to  me  the  Japanese 
army  and  art  only.  I shall  lead  my  countrymen 
along  lines  of  commercial  developments,  and  the 
next  time  I shall  have  the  honour  to  meet  you,  I 
expect  to  hear  your  words  of  praise  of  our  Japanese 
commerce  and  industry.” 

Then  Mr.  Roosevelt  apologetically  said: 

“I  did  not  mean  to  put  the  commerce  and 
industry  of  Japan  in  the  secondary  place,  when  I 
praised  the  other  things.  My  first  attention  was 
drawn  toward  the  army  and  the  art  of  Japan. 
So  I thought  that  it  was  proper  to  speak  to  a 


24  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


prominent  Japanese  about  the  better  parts  of 
Japan,  as  I saw  them.  I never  meant  to  place 
commerce  and  industry  in  a lower  plane  when  I 
praised  the  other  side  of  Japan.  Perhaps  I did 
not  put  it  in  a proper  way,  when  I said  it.  I hope 
you  would  not  feel  offended.” 

I replied : 

“No,  no;  not  at  all.  I am  not  offended.  lam 
thankful  to  you  for  your  praise  of  Japan’s  good 
parts.  I am  simply  taking  pains  to  make  com- 
merce and  industry  our  third  good  part.” 

I also  met  during  travels  in  America  such 
prominent  men  as  Mr.  Harriman  and  Mr.  Rocke- 
feller and  various  others.  I saw  and  heard  many 
interesting  things,  and  returned  to  Japan  with  joy 
and  gladness  of  heart  at  having  had  a pleasant  trip 
to  America. 

Soon  after  my  return — that  is,  in  the  fall  of  the 
next  year — the  diplomatic  relations  between  Japan 
and  Russia  were  strained,  and  in  1904  the  two 
nations  came  to  war.  During  the  war,  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  Americans  toward  Japan  was  some- 
thing extraordinary,  judging  from  what  I have 
read  in  the  newspapers  and  have  heard  people 
say.  I was  glad  to  learn  of  it.  Then  my  friend. 
Viscount  Kaneko,  went  to  that  country  and  talked 
with  the  prominent  people  there  about  the  war 
from  the  Japanese  point  of  view.  He  received  a 
cordial  welcome  from  the  Americans.  Baron 
Takahashi,  who  is  now  the  Minister  of  Finance, 
was  met  in  Europe  by  a prominent  American 


Japanese-American  Relations  .^5 


financier  who  gave  him  valuable  assistance.  That 
fact  was  then  and  is  even  now  well  remembered 
by  our  countrymen.  But  soon  the  Russo-Japan- 
ese War  came  to  a close  in  the  next  year,  1905. 
By  the  efforts  of  President  Roosevelt,  the  relations 
between  Japan  and  Russia  were  brought  back  to 
their  normal  order.  For  this  the  Japanese  people 
are  also  grateful  to  America. 

But  later  the  attitude  of  America  toward  Japan 
was  completely  reversed.  It  was  in  the  same 
year,  or  the  next,  that  the  so-called  school  question 
arose  in  San  Francisco.  Then  Japanese-American 
relations  became  strained.  Apparently,  the  Ja- 
panese were  not  to  blame;  and  only  a section  of 
the  Americans  began  gradually  to  dislike  the 
Japanese. 

Now,  when  it  comes  to  this,  what  I said  in 
Golden  Gate  Park  in  1902,  the  sign  of  “Japanese 
are  not  admitted,’’  appears  to  be  coming  to  the 
fore.  For  me  who  had  a peculiar  impression  about 
America,  especially  as  I was  taking  pains  to  develop 
the  commerce  and  industry  of  Japan,  not  merely 
for  my  own  sake  but  for  the  good  of  all  Japan,  this 
matter,  which  was  boimd  to  have  a sinister 
influence  upon  the  diplomatic  and  trade  relations 
of  the  two  nations,  gave  me  cause  for  anxiety. 
Later,  the  Japanese  in  San  Francisco  organized 
the  Japanese  Association  of  America.  Mr.  Kinji 
Ushijima  was  elected  president.  He  sent  Mr. 
Kinzo  Watanabe  as  a special  representative  to 
Japan  to  appeal  to  the  Japanese  at  home.  Mr. 


26  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


Watanabe  represented  that  the  object  of  the 
Japanese  Association  of  America  was  to  educate 
the  feehngs  of  the  Americans  who  dislike  the 
Japanese,  and  he  asked  that  his  countrymen  at 
home  understand  the  circumstances  and  give 
support  to  the  scheme  of  the  association.  I 
thought  that  it  was  a very  good  plan,  and  en- 
couraged him  to  do  his  utmost,  as  we  in  Japan 
w'ould  assist  as  much  as  possible.  I also  told 
Mr.  Watanabe  about  what  I saw  in  Golden  Gate 
Park  in  1902  and  requested  him  to  suggest  to 
Mr.  Ushijima  and  other  members  of  the  association 
to  attend  to  that  matter.  I think  that  was  in  1908. 

In  that  year  the  members  of  the  eight  chambers 
of  commerce  on  the  Pacific  Coast  of  America 
came  to  visit  Japan.  They  came  at  the  invitation 
of  the  chambers  of  commerce  of  Tokyo  and  cities 
throughout  Japan  for  a pleasure  trip.  Another 
object  of  the  tour  made  by  the  Americans  was  to 
assist  in  the  betterment  of  the  relations  between 
the  countries  and  in  removing  the  general  mis- 
understanding. Among  those  who  came  over 
were  Mr.  F.  W.  Doorman  of  San  Francisco,  Mr. 
J.  D.  Lowman  of  Seattle,  Mr.  0.  M.  Clark  of 
Portland,  and  other  prominent  Americans.  I met 
these  gentlemen  in  receptions  and  at  various  other 
functions,  and  spoke  to  them  about  the  relations 
between  the  two  nations,  and  implored  that  they 
avoid  falling  into  misunderstandings  about  us.  If 
the  Japanese  in  America,  out  of  ignorance  of  the 
customs  and  manners  of  the  Europeans  or  the 


Japanese-American  Relations  27 


Americans,  commit  offences  against  public  morals, 
or  if  their  appearance  be  peculiar,  or  if  they  do 
not  assimilate  with  the  ways  of  America,  we  will 
do  our  best  to  educate  our  countrymen  out  of  these 
faults,  so  that  they  may  not  be  disliked  by  Euro- 
peans or  Americans.  But  if  the  causes  of  exclusion 
of  the  Japanese  are  differences  of  race  or  religion, 
then  the  fault  would  be  with  the  Americans.  I 
cannot  believe,  I told  them,  that  the  Americans 
would  do  anything  of  the  kind,  because  that  would 
be  against  the  original  principle  upon  which 
America  was  foimded.  It  was  America  that 
introduced  Japan  to  the  world,  and  we  Japanese 
have  kept  up  our  friendly  relations  with  the 
Americans  on  the  strength  of  that  memory.  Now, 
if  the  Americans,  out  of  the  race  prejudices  and 
religious  differences,  are  to  treat  the  Japanese 
with  discrimination,  that  is  something  which  they 
should  not  do.  If  they  persist,  they  may  not 
escape  the  criticism  that  they  were  reasonable  at 
first  and  then  became  unreasonable  in  the  end.  I 
told  the  American  visitors  all  these  things.  They 
agreed  with  me  perfectly.  They  were  good  enough 
to  come  to  my  house  in  Oji  where  we  had  further 
conversations  on  the  subject  and  exchanged  views. 
Besides  Tokyo,  they  travelled  in  different  parts  of 
Japan.  And  these  fifty-odd  visitors  told  me  that 
they  had  an  enjoyable  visit. 

The  next  year,  the  American  chambers  of  com- 
merce, in  return,  invited  the  Japanese  to  come  over 
to  their  coimtry  for  a visit.  I was  the  president 


28  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


of  the  chambers  of  commerce  in  Japan  from  1878 
to  1906,  but  in  1904  I resigned  on  account  of  ill- 
ness. So  in  1908  when  these  American  visitors 
came  over,  I did  not  meet  them  in  the  capacity 
of  the  president  of  the  chambers  of  commerce,  but 
as  a private  individual.  So  when  the  Americans 
invited  us  to  visit  them,  it  was  not  absolutely 
necessary  for  me  to  go.  But  it  was  suggested 
that  a business  man  should  accept  the  invitation 
and  go  to  America,  and  that  he  should  be  one 
whom  the  American  people  knew  well  by  name. 
Then  it  was  decided  by  common  consent  that  I 
was  the  proper  man  for  that.  I was  already  an 
old  man,  but  I was  chosen  the  leader  of  the  party. 
We  started  from  Tokyo  August  19,  1909,  and  in 
returning  left  San  Francisco  November  30th,  arriv- 
ing in  Japan  December  17th.  Thus  we  took  four 
months  for  the  trip,  being  in  America  ninety  days. 
During  the  three  months,  we  visited  many  places 
and  met  many  people  in  America.  The  number 
of  the  places  visited  was  fifty-four  or  fifty-five,  as 
I recall.  The  cordiality  of  the  welcome  given  by 
the  Americans  to  the  Japanese  visitors  was  some- 
thing beyond  description  by  words.  To  give 
only  an  instance;  starting  from  Seattle,  we  w^ere 
taken  in  a special  train  throughout  our  journey, 
without  once  changing  our  train,  until  we  arrived 
in  San  Francisco.  That  show^ed  how  skilfully 
the  railway  service  is  handled.  That  treatment 
was  indeed  the  first  and  last  thing  that  we  could 
expect  to  have,  and  I venture  to  say  that  even 


Japanese-American  Relations  29 

the  American  people  could  not  have  it  ever^'  day. 
We  were  welcomed  everywhere  at  receptions, 
luncheons,  and  banquets.  I spoke  in  behalf  of 
the  visitors  to  the  hosts  and  hostesses  on  the 
subject  of  Japanese-American  friendship.  Al- 
though my  expressions  may  have  differed  a little 
in  different  places,  yet  I spoke  unreservedly  about 
what  I felt.  I do  not  know  how  many  persons 
I addressed.  It  may  have  been  thousands  or 
tens  of  thousands.  I am  sure  I told  them  all 
about  Japan’s  feelings  toward  America.  Also, 
I listened  to  what  the  Americans  had  to  say,  and 
returned  with  these  impressions  in  my  mind. 
Upon  our  return  on  December  17th,  I reported  my 
observations  and  impressions  of  America  to  the 
chambers  of  commerce,  to  the  people  of  Japan 
on  the  occasions  of  receptions,  and  in  different 
gatherings.  I reported  that  the  disagreeable 
state  of  affairs  that  existed  a few  years  ago  would 
soon  disappear  altogether,  that  during  our  journey 
in  America  we  were  treated  with  the  utmost 
cordiality,  and  that  we  had  met  Preisdent  Taft 
in  Minneapolis,  with  whom  we  had  a luncheon  at 
which  we  told  him  about  our  mission,  and  the 
President  reciprocated  his  cordial  feelings  toward 
Japan — all  done  before  the  public.  I also  re- 
ported that  we  had  similar  opportunity  to  ex- 
change words  with  the  members  of  chambers  of 
commerce,  the  governors  of  states,  the  mayors  of 
cities,  and  especially  with  Mr.  Knox,  Secretary 
of  State,  in  Washington.  What  I had  reported 


30  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


to  our  government  and  the  people  was  not  my 
private  imagination,  without  foundation,  but  it 
was  based  upon  what  I had  carefully  observed 
with  my  own  eyes  in  America. 

Now,  we  had  done  much  to  promote  Japanese- 
American  friendship.  The  next  thing  to  do  was 
not  in  om  line  of  endeavour.  It  was  decided  that 
the  tourist  parties  are  not  everything  that  may  be 
desired.  There  is  need  of  educating  the  people 
on  both  sides.  So  professors  have  been  exchanged 
every  year  since.  They  are  still  being  exchanged. 
The  first  professor  to  go  was  Dr.  Nitobe.  He 
went  to  America  in  the  fall  of  year  before  last, 
and  remained  there  for  a year,  lectirring  about 
Japan  in  colleges.  Then  in  exchange  came  Dr. 
Mabie  from  America  to  Japan.  Now,  Dr.  Sato 
has  gone  to  America.  Dr.  Anezaki  is  also  in 
America,  although  not  as  an  exchange  professor. 
He  is  lecturing  in  a university  in  Boston.  Not 
only  these  exchange  professors,  but  such  learned 
men  as  Dr.  David  Starr  Jordan,  Dr.  Charles  W. 
Eliot,  Dr.  F.  G.  Peabody,  Dr.  J.  T.  Sunderland, 
and  others  have  come  to  Japan,  while  from  Japan 
have  gone  to  America  many  scholars  and  reh- 
gionists.  Whenever  these  scholars  have  visited 
Japan,  I have  not  failed  to  meet  them  and  to  get 
up  receptions  and  farewell  banquets  in  order  to 
exchange  views.  Thus,  by  the  tourist  parties, 
the  exchange  professors,  and  other  instrumen- 
talities, we  made  success  of  our  painstaking  efforts 
at  improving  the  relations  between  the  two  nations. 


Japanese-American  Relations  31 

Those  with  whom  I came  into  contact  all  agreed 
with  me  on  the  questions  at  issue.  Only  from 
some  quarters  come  sinister  reports.  What  I felt 
especially  unpleasant  was  the  rise  of  the  anti- 
Japanese  land-ownership  issue  in  the  Legislature 
of  Cahfomia  in  April,  last  year.  As  I had  been 
requested  beforehand  by  the  Japanese  Association 
of  America  to  assist  our  fellow  countrymen  in 
America  by  lending  support  whenever  necessary, 
I was  prepared  to  give  all  the  help  we  could.  Now 
that  the  matter  had  come  to  the  fore,  I had  a society 
organized  under  the  name  of  Japan  and  America 
Society,  and  we  did  what  we  could  to  assist  the 
Japanese  in  America.  At  the  same  time  I talked 
with  the  religionists,  the  scholars,  and  the  business 
men  who  came  to  Japan,  about  this  matter.  They 
all  assured  me  that  such  a thing  could  not  be. 
But  the  fact  was  contrary  to  their  assurance,  and 
the  anti- Japanese  land-ownership  bill  was  carried 
through  like  wildfire,  to  the  great  disadvantage 
of  the  Japanese.  Our  Japan  and  America  Society, 
desiring  to  defeat  the  passage  of  the  bill  and  at 
the  same  time  to  comfort  our  countrymen  in 
America,  sent  Dr.  Juichi  Soeda  and  Ivir.  Tadao 
Kamiya  to  America.  Mr.  Soroku  Ebara,  Mr. 
Ayao  Hattori,  Ivir.  Yuya  Yamaguchi,  and  others 
were  also  sent  at  the  request  of  others.  In  spite 
of  the  efforts  of  these  men,  the  land  bill  was  at  last 
passed,  and  to-day  we  are  unable  to  do  anything 
about  it.  Not  only  that,  but  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  intelligent  Americans  admit  the  un- 


32  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


reasonableness  of  the  position  of  the  California 
Legislature,  the  anti- Japanese  agitations  appear  to 
be  increasing  in  force.  Even  in  Congress  an  anti- 
Japanese  bill  has  been  introduced,  as  I am  in- 
formed. These  things  also  cause  us  anxiety. 

My  relations  with  America  have  been  explained 
in  the  foregoing.  Now,  what  shall  we  do  for  the 
future?  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  statesmen, 
scholars,  religionists,  and  others  speak  in  con- 
demnation of  the  discriminatory  treatment,  we 
still  see  such  unpleasant  developments.  I do  not 
know  how  to  account  for  it.  I have  spoken  to 
Dr.  Jordan,  Dr.  Eliot,  and  others  about  it,  when 
they  were  in  Japan.  They  do  not  differ  at  all 
from  my  point  of  view.  They  admit  that  the 
discriminatory  treatment  of  the  Japanese  is 
wrong,  and  they  have  said  so  in  public  meetings. 
What,  then,  is  the  reason  for  such  anti-Japanese 
manifestations  as  are  noticed  in  America?  T\ffiy 
can  they  not  be  stopped?  Dr.  Jordan  answered 
that,  according  to  the  American  custom,  the 
central  authorities  are  unable  to  stop  or  to  re- 
strain a State  of  the  Union  from  doing  as  it  pleases. 
He  agreed  with  me  in  theory,  but  he  could  not 
stop  others  from  having  different  views  from  him- 
self, when  they  take  these  views  of  their  own  free 
will.  But  he  maintained  that  wrong  cannot  long 
prevail  over  right.  The  intelligent  Japanese  and 
the  Americans  should  not  be  moved  by  these 
things.  We  should,  he  urged,  rest  assured  that  a 
little  cloud  will  not  cause  the  clear  weather  to 


Japan ese-American  Relations  33 


become  stormy.  If  we  make  our  efforts,  we  ought 
to  be  able  to  dispel  the  cloud  from  the  horizon. 
Such  was  Dr.  Jordan’s  answer.  But  the  little 
cloud  may  sometimes  grow  into  wind  or  storm  or 
thunder  or  rain,  even  if  for  only  a short  space  of 
time.  So  we  should  not  rest  assured  at  the  words 
of  Dr,  Jordan.  Our  Japanese  attitude  toward 
America  has  always  been  systematic,  and  there  will 
not  be  any  change  in  our  friendship  toward 
America. 

But  the  masses  of  the  people  may  become  en- 
raged if  the  strained  relations  continue  long.  To 
this  query.  Dr.  Jordan  repeated  in  a few  words 
what  he  had  said,  namely,  that  intelligent  Ameri- 
cans would  not  be  led  astray  by  the  temporary 
manifestations,  that  the  httle  cloud  overhanging 
the  sky  will  soon  pass  away,  and  that  even  if 
wind  or  rain  comes  for  the  time  being  it  will  not 
last  long.  Soon  there  will  be  clear  weather;  so 
we  should  not  be  worried. 

I trust  that  such  will  be  the  case. 


JAPAN  HARBOURS  NO  ILL  FEELING 
TOWARD  AMERICA 


REMPEI  KONDO 

[Baron  Rempei  Kondo,  President  of  the  N.  Y.  K.;  bom 
December,  1848,  in  Edo  (Tokyo);  was  educated  at  Keiogijuku 
(foremnner  of  Keio  University);  Emperor  Meiji  made  him 
baron  in  1911,  in  recognition  of  his  distinguished  services 
toward  the  development  of  the  marine  transportation  trade  in 
Japan.] 


Our  Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha  has  the  most  inti- 
mate relations  with  America.  We  opened  the 
steamship  service  to  Seattle  in  the  29th  year  of 
Meiji  (1896).  At  that  time  America’s  Oriental 
trade  was  very  insignificant,  and  Japan’s  American 
trade  was  not  large.  I was  firmly  of  the  opinion 
that  the  natural  route  of  trade  with  America 
would  be  opened  northward  rather  than  south- 
ward, and  decided  to  open  the  Seattle  service. 
To-day  Seattle  is  one  of  the  most  important  trade 
ports  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  But  at  the  time  we 
opened  the  steamship  service  it  was  nothing  more 
than  a fishing  village.  When  a Yusen  Kaisha 
steamer  arrived  there  for  the  first  time — and  it 
was  much  smaller  than  the  steamers  we  use  now 
in  the  service — the  Americans  in  the  village  were 

34 


No  111  Feeling  toward  America  35 


surprised  to  see  such  a large  steamer  at  that  port. 
When  we  look  back  upon  the  past  we  can  not  but 
have  feelings  that  can  not  be  fully  expressed. 
Seattle’s  wonderful  development  is  due  mainly 
to  the  fact  that  our  Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha  en- 
tered into  a contract  with  the  Great  Northern 
Railway  Company  and  opened  the  steamship 
service  to  that  port.  So  the  people  of  Seattle 
are  in  intimate  relationship  with  the  Nippon  Yusen 
Kaisha,  and  this  relationship  is  continued  to-day. 

I have  many  personal  friends  in  that  city  with 
whom  I keep  in  close  touch.  As  I have  such  close 
personal  relations  and  have  many  friends  all  over 
America,  and  especially  as  I have  the  honour  of 
being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Seattle,  there  is  no 
reason  w'hy  I should  harbour  any  ill  will  toward 
America.  This  is  not  my  feeling  only.  I dare 
say,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  there  is 
not  one  Japanese  who  has  any  ill  feeling  toward 
America.  Only  I am  anxious  to  see  to  it  that  the 
mutual  trade  relations  develop,  thereby  advancing 
the  material  interests  of  both  nations,  and  that 
we  come  to  understand  each  other  better  from  the 
personal  point  of  view,  thus  increasing  the  inti- 
macy of  our  relationship. 

Whienever  an  American  ambassador  (formerly 
minister)  or  an  American  of  note  has  come  to 
Japan,  I have  never  failed  to  speak  to  them  in  the 
following  manner:  America  is  a country  large  in 
area  and  small  in  population.  A large  area  of 
land  is  still  waiting  to  be  broken.  Especially 


36  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


along  the  Pacific  Coast  it  is  a rather  difficult  task 
to  open  up  the  country  and  to  attract  many 
people  there.  So,  in  order  to  accomplish  that 
object,  it  is  imperative  to  admit  immigrants. 
The  best  classes  of  immigrants  are  those  whose 
labour  is  cheap.  If  only  labour  be  cheap,  there 
is  no  need  of  making  the  point  of  race  distinctions. 
Now  the  cheapest  labourers  are  the  Japanese.  As 
railway  labourers,  the  Japanese  are  being  wel- 
comed by  the  railway  companies.  But,  because 
Japanese  labour  is  cheap,  some  of  the  idle  white 
labourers  feel  annoyed  and  attempt  to  have  them 
excluded.  That  is  not  only  unreasonable,  but 
it  is  also  unprofitable  for  the  Americans.  In 
short,  the  various  problems  in  San  Francisco  and 
its  vicinity  have  been  raised  in  order  that  these 
idlers  may  feel  that  they  will  not  lose  the  chance 
of  getting  work.  There  are  some  who  take  the 
position  that  the  Japanese  should  be  excluded 
because  they  are  of  a different  race  from  the 
Americans,  with  whom  they  do  not  assimilate. 
That  may  be  so,  but  if  so,  it  is  unavoidable,  as  the 
Japanese  have  customs,  manners,  and  habits 
different  from  those  of  the  Americans.  Besides, 
the  Japanese  who  go  to  America  generally  belong 
to  the  lower  classes.  When  they  suddenly  make 
their  appearance  in  America,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
they  do  things  the  Americans  do  not  like.  But  if 
they  are  honest  at  heart  and  work  earnestly,  the 
question  of  their  assimilation  should  be  set  aside. 
Honesty  and  earnestness  are  the  best  parts  of 


No  111  Feeling  toward  America  37 

virtues.  There  can  be  no  reason  for  excluding 
these  virtues.  If  America  should  exclude  such 
labourers  from  the  country,  I should  think,  were 
I not  a Japanese  but  a disinterested  third 
party,  that  it  would  be  a great  loss  to  the 
Americans. 

There  are  some  Americans  who  often  publicly 
speak  of  the  possibility  of  a Japanese- American 
war.  It  is  rather  curious  to  note  that  there  is  no 
Japanese  who  advocates  a war  with  America, 
although  we  are  often  called  by  the  foreigners  a 
bellicose  race.  If  the  two  nations  were  to  engage 
in  warfare,  it  would  be  a great  loss  to  both.  But 
such  a war  should  be  an  impossibility.  Such 
nonsense  is  never  entertained  in  Japan.  I hear 
that  in  America  the  ship-builders,  to  get  orders 
for  battleships,  fabricate  falsehoods,  and  cause  a 
great  deal  of  talk  and  discussion  as  to  America’s 
need  of  more  battleships  to  prepare  for  war  with 
Japan.  I do  not  know  the  truth  of  this.  But 
there  is  no  reason  for  the  level-headed  American 
to  advocate  a war  with  Japan  or  listen  to  such 
foolish  talk.  So  that  story  may  not  be  true.  But 
I should  like  to  advise  both  peoples  that  such 
wild  talk  should  be  guarded  against  as  much  as 
possible,  from  the  point  of  view  of  their  mutual 
interests  as  well  as  from  that  of  international 
courtesy. 

I earnestly  hope  that  Americans  will  have  confi- 
dence in  us,  recognize  our  sincerity,  and  endeavour 
to  advance  the  friendship  between  the  two  peoples ; 


38  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

and  that,  at  the  same  time,  they  will  admit  cheap 
labour  in  their  country,  thereby  facilitating  the 
opening  up  of  the  land  and  increasing  the  blessings 
of  nature  to  both  nations. 


IN  ROME  DO  AS  THE  ROMANS  DO 


BUEI  NAKANO 

[Hon.  Buei  Nakano,  President  of  the  Tokyo  Chamber  of 
Commerce;  Director  of  the  Nichi  Bei  Doshi  Kwai,  a society 
that  has  for  its  object  the  promotion  of  American-Japanese 
friendship;  bom  1843  at  Takamatsu;  he  came  to  America  as 
Vice-President  of  the  Honorary  Japanese  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce Party,  in  1909;  he  is  a man  of  noble  character  and  is 
fitly  called  in  Japan  “the  samurai  in  the  business  circles.”  In 
recent  years  he  has  been  exerting  himself  for  the  betterment 
of  American-Japanese  relations.] 

The  average  Japanese  has  a nom  de  guerre  of  his 
own,  even  if  he  is  not  engaged  in  a literary  pursuit. 
Formerly  I had  none,  but  as  a man  who  is  well 
known  is  often  met  with  requests  for  his  auto- 
graph, I thought  it  might  be  rather  awkward  to 
put  down  my  real  name.  So  I decided  to  assume 
a pen  name  and  I chose  the  words  "Zui  Go.” 
The  two  words  came  from  the  Japanese  proverb 
which  means,  ‘‘Entering  a local  community,  follow 
the  commtmity.”  In  the  West,  there  is  a pro- 
verb, ‘‘When  in  Rome  do  as  the  Romans  do.” 
These  two  proverbs  mean  exactly  the  same  thing. 
If  we  follow  them,  everything  in  this  world  would 
go  smoothly  and  without  a hitch.  In  short,  we 
ought  to  beware  of  egotism,  and  to  endeavour  to 


39 


40  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


harmonize  with  the  society  in  which  we  live  and 
have  our  being.  It  does  not  mean  that  we  must 
renounce  our  principles  and  follow  the  majority 
blindly. 

There  are  other  sayings  in  Japan.  “A  scholar 
that  shows  it,  is  not  a true  scholar.”  “A  parson 
who  shows  it,  is  not  a true  parson.”  These  say- 
ings are  satire  aimed  at  persons  who  are  self- 
conceited,  and  are  a warning  to  those  who  are  too 
much  wrapped  up  in  themselves,  forgetting 
humanity  and  failing  to  harmonize  with  others. 
These  sayings  are  much  the  same  in  meaning  with 
the  proverb,  “Entering  a local  community,  follow 
the  community.”  If  one  is  to  exist  as  a social 
being  he  ought  to  keep  in  mind  these  sayings. 
Especially  are  these  warnings  to  be  taken  to  heart 
by  those  who  go  to  foreign  lands  of  different  cus- 
toms, manners,  habits,  institutions,  and  civihza- 
tion  from  their  own.  The  same  may  be  said  as  to 
the  Japanese  who  go  to  America. 

The  Japanese  who  go  to  America  must,  needless 
to  say,  obey  the  laws  of  that  country.  Nay,  more, 
they  should  be  careful  to  follow  the  customs  and 
manners  of  the  country,  pay  proper  respect  to 
the  institutions  of  society,  not  to  destroy  estab- 
Ushed  order,  and  not  to  excite  the  ill  feehngs  of  the 
Americans.  Now,  among  the  Japanese  that  go 
to  America,  the  labourers  alone  are  said  to  boast 
of  things  Japanese,  showing  disrespect  to  the 
customs  and  manners  of  that  countIy^  That,  to 
be  sure,  is  unavoidable.  These  men  often  do 


In  Rome  Do  as  the  Romans  Do  41 


things  that  tend  to  injure  the  institutions,  customs, 
and  manners  of  Japan,  to  say  nothing  about  those 
of  America.  In  Japan  their  doings  may  not  excite 
so  much  attention,  but  in  a foreign  country  they 
would  loom  large  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  of  that 
country.  This  should  be  remembered  by  those 
who  go  to  foreign  lands.  Otherwise,  a lack  of 
harmony  may  result.  There  may  be  many  causes 
leading  to  the  agitations  for  the  demand  for 
Japanese  exclusion  in  America,  and  the  lack  of 
respect  for  the  institutions  of  that  country  on  the 
part  of  the  Japanese  may  be  one  of  the  most  seri- 
ous of  them.  If  the  Japanese  labourers  work 
honestly  and  faithfully,  with  this  warning  kept 
in  mind  and  with  loyalty  and  patriotism  for  the 
country  in  which  they  live,  the  exclusion  move- 
ment might  not  assume  such  large  proportions. 

Certainly,  we  hope  that  the  Americans  will 
treat  our  labourers  with  magnanimity,  and  judge 
with  reason  the  conduct  of  these  labourers.  But, 
in  many  respects,  those  who  agitate  for  exclusion 
cannot  be  blamed  for  what  they  do.  It  is  “up  to 
us”  to  educate  those  who  wish  to  go  to  America, 
and  also  those  who  are  already  there,  thereby 
removing  the  causes  of  the  agitation  for  Japanese 
exclusion  and  making  the  movement  impossible. 
We  are  now  planning  to  start  a campaign  with  this 
object  in  view.  Although  the  time  has  not  yet 
arrived  for  us  to  make  public  this  plan,  I hope  that 
in  the  not  distant  future  we  will  be  able  to  do  so. 


FUTURE  OF  THE  PACIFIC  AND  THE 
AMERICAN- JAPANESE  FRIENDSHIP 


SOICHIRO  ASANO 

[Mr.  Soichiro  Asano,  President  of  the  Toyo  Kisen  Kaisha 
(Oriental  Steamship  Co.)  and  of  the  Asano  Cement  Company; 
bom  at  Toyama,  April,  1848;  when  a little  boy  he  came  to 
Tokyo  to  become  an  apprentice;  soon  established  himself  as  an 
independent  tradesman;  after  many  years  of  perverse  destiny, 
he  came  out  as  a well-to-do  coal  merchant;  Fortune  began  to 
smile  on  him  and  he  organized  the  Asano  Cement  Works  in 
Tokyo,  which  have  been  doing  well  ever  since;  in  1886  he 
started  the  Toyo  Kisen  Kaisha  mainly  with  his  own  capital, 
which  company  has  recently  opened  a regular  line  between 
Japan  and  South  America.  He  is  also  interested  in  various 
other  companies.] 


“The  world-drama  of  the  future  will  be  played 
on  the  Pacific  ” is  a rather  hackneyed  saying.  Still 
it  is  true.  Nobody  can  deny  the  big  fact  that  the 
current  of  civilization  has  been  flowing  to  the 
Pacific  from  the  Atlantic.  The  developments 
that  we  shall  witness  in  this  part  of  the  globe  in 
the  next  few  decades  will  be  far  more  remarkable 
than  those  that  have  been  made  in  as  many  cen- 
turies in  the  past. 

About  twoscore  years  ago  the  opening  of  the 
Suez  Canal  revolutionized  the  communications  of 

42 


Future  of  the  Pacific 


43 


the  world;  but  the  Panama  waterway,  which  will 
directly  connect  the  two  oceans,  will  do  much  more 
than  its  rival  in  stimulating  the  growth  and  activi- 
ties of  the  Pacific  countries. 

Imperialistic  expansion  of  territory  is  already 
a thing  of  the  past.  At  present  and  in  the  future 
the  development  of  civilized  nations  must  be 
sought  for  along  lines  of  communications,  industry, 
and  commerce,  and  in  international  trade.  But 
the  economic  interests  of  various  peoples  are 
becoming  increasingly  complex,  and  the  growth 
of  such  interests  too  often  brings  about  violent 
struggles  between  them.  Will  the  Pacific  civiliza- 
tion continue  to  develop  without  bloodshed? — 
one  may  ask.  In  my  opinion  it  depends  upon  the 
conditions  of  fellowship  between  America  and 
Japan,  who  are  destined  to  play  the  most  impor- 
tant rdles  on  the  Pacific,  and  in  whose  hands  is 
the  power  to  harmonize  the  Eastern  and  Western 
civilizations.  Fortunately  enough,  the  far- 
sighted Americans  have  seen  that  the  future  of 
their  country  is  chiefly  involved  with  the  Pacific. 
In  the  Oriental  peoples  have  they  found  their 
potential  customers.  So  the  construction  of  the 
Panama  Canal  is  very  significant. 

American- Japanese  friendship  is,  as  I confidently 
believe,  not  only  based  on  historical  associa- 
tions, but  also  rests  on  such  rational  considera- 
tions. I am  not  so  tmsophisticated  as  to  say  that 
the  economical  activities  of  the  two  nations  are 
in  perfect  harmony.  Their  interests  may  some. 


44  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


times  come  into  collision.  That  can  not  be  helped- 
so  long  as  each  is  an  independent  community. 
As  a general  thing,  however,  America  and  Japan 
will  always  be  friends.  The  Pacific  is  so  vast  that 
Japan’s  gain  by  her  economic  developments  on 
it  does  not  always  mean  America’s  loss,  or  vice 
versa.  Those  who  attempt  to  weaken  the  inter- 
national bond  of  the  two  coimtries  are  either 
blind  to  true  conditions,  or  have  ulterior  designs 
of  profiting  by  the  disaster.  A Japanese  adage 
says,  “If  one  dog  barks  a falsehood,  ten  thousand 
others  spread  it  as  a truth  ’’ ; and  a single  mischief- 
maker  may  cause  very  serious  trouble  between 
nations.  To  remove  international  prejudices  and 
suppress  the  fooHsh  talk  of  war  is,  therefore,  the 
bounden  duty  of  every  thoughtful  man. 

In  most  cases,  international  misunderstanding 
is  due  to  lack  of  information.  Being  engaged 
in  the  carrying  trade,  it  is  my  earnest  hope  that 
the  commimications  between  America  and  Japan 
will  be  greatly  developed,  thus  increasing  the 
opportunities  for  them  to  come  into  closer  contact 
with  each  other. 


JAPAN  AND  AMERICA 
Co-operation  versus  Competition 

KIKUSABURO  FUKUI 

[Mr.  Kikusaburo  Fukui,  Managing  Director,  Mitsui  Pro- 
ducts Company;  bom  March,  1866,  in  Tokyo;  was  graduated 
from  the  Tokyo  Higher  Commercial  School,  1883;  was  for  some 
years  manager  of  the  New  York  Branch  of  the  Mitsui  Products 
Company;  in  1890,  he  was  promoted  to  his  present  post.] 

Commerce  has  become  the  most  influential 
factor  in  international  intercourse,  and  instances 
are  not  wanting  to  show  that  commercial  considera- 
tions have  prevented  the  actual  outbreak  of 
hostilities  between  nations  at  enmity  with  each 
other.  The  causes  giving  rise  to  such  inter- 
national friction  can  be  more  easily  adjusted, 
without  recourse  to  warfare,  when  the  two  nations 
are  closely  connected  through  their  commercial 
interests. 

Is  there  any  real  reason  why  the  commercial 
interests  of  Japan  should  clash  with  those  of  the 
United  States?  I know  there  are  certain  influences 
at  work  to  stir  up'trouble between  the  two  countries, 
and  certain  politicians  are  trying  to  make  people 
believe  that  the  two  nations  must  ultimately  enter 

45 


46  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


into  such  severe  competition  that  one  of  the  two 
must  be  driven  from  the  field.  If  this  were  true, 
I must  admit  the  situation  would  be  serious 
indeed,  but  in  my  opinion  this  argument  is  not 
only  improbable,  but  has  nothing  to  warrant  it. 
My  views  are  briefly  as  follows : 

As  regards  competition  in  China,  I understand 
that  American  manufacturers  have  complained 
bitterly  of  the  so-called  intrusion  of  Japanese 
cotton  goods  in  that  market  where  American  goods 
formerly  held  the  leading  position.  It  is  true 
that  the  importation  of  Japanese  goods  has 
greatly  increased  during  recent  years,  but  it  must 
be  remembered  that  China’s  buying  capacity  has 
also  shown  a remarkable  advance,  and  when  the 
volume  of  increase  in  Japanese  goods  is  compared 
with  the  increased  demand  it  will  be  fotmd  that 
the  ratio  is  only  proportional.  Another  feature 
which  should  not  be  lost  sight  of  is  the  steadily 
increasing  quantity  of  raw  cotton  purchased  from 
America  by  Japan. 

The  cotton  spinning  and  weaving  industry  of 
Japan  has  now  attained  a prominent  position  and 
gives  regular  employment  to  thousands  of  persons 
who  were  formerly  dependent  on  agriculture  or 
hand  labour,  and,  as  cotton  forms  the  chief  staple 
of  the  people’s  clothing,  it  is  only  natural  that 
every  care  has  been  taken  to  foster  the  industry. 
With  the  extension  of  the  industry  it  was  only  to 
be  expected  that  the  supply  would  exceed  the 
home  demand,  and  what  more  natural  outlet  for 


Japan  and  America 


47 


the  surplus  could  be  found  than  China?  The 
relative  positions  of  the  two  countries  enable 
Japan  to  compete  successfully  with  more  distant 
coimtries,  but  her  policy  has  never  been  to  drive 
American  manufactures  out  of  the  market,  but 
rather  to  provide  employment  for  her  ever-increas- 
ing and  poverty-stricken  population. 

Nobody  can  deny  that  Japan  has  every  natural 
advantage,  both  geographically  and  psychologi- 
cally, as  regards  China,  and  relations  have  existed 
between  the  two  countries  from  time  immemorial. 
Japan  has  adopted  its  religion,  its  science,  arts, 
and  literature  from  China,  and  thoroughly  under- 
stands the  characteristics  of  its  people  and  their 
requirements.  Now  why  should  America  not 
avail  herself  of  these  advantages  by  co-operating 
with  Japan  in  the  vast  market  of  China? 

Every  cotmtry  has  some  special  advantage,  one 
being  better  adapted  for  the  production  of  raw 
materials,  while  another  has  greater  facilities  for 
manufacturing.  America  is  such  an  extensive 
country  that  it  can  fortimately  claim  both  these 
advantages,  but  Japan  can  still  co-operate  with 
it  by  working  up  American  raw  or  semi-finished 
materials  by  means  of  its  cheap  and  skilled  labour 
in  such  forms  as  to  suit  the  taste  and  requirements 
of  the  Chinese,  the  special  features  of  which  are 
specially  studied  by  the  Japanese. 

I think  it  is  a great  mistake  for  any  nation  to  try 
to  do  business  in  the  Far  East  without  taking  Ja- 
pan’s position,  geographically  and  commercially, 


48  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


into  consideration.  Instead  of  looking  upon  her  as 
an  opponent,  they  should  consider  her  as  a business 
partner  and  avail  themselves  of  the  special  facili- 
ties she  has  to  offer.  Let  your  manufacturers  use 
Japan  as  their  trading  agent  or  manager  of  branch 
industries,  and  let  your  captains  of  industry  invest 
their  capital  in  the  coimtry  and  utilize  our  cheap 
labour  for  exploiting  the  markets  of  the  Far  East. 

As  an  instance  of  successful  co-operation,  I can 
mention  that  the  weU-known  makers  of  electrical 
plants,  the  General  Electric  Company,  have  taken 
a large  share  in  the  Shibatua  Engineering  Works, 
Tokyo,  and  much  of  the  work  which  was  formerly 
imported  is  now  produced  in  Japan  at  considerably 
less  cost,  a considerable  part  of  raw  materials  or 
half  finished  goods  being  imported  from  America, 
thus  enabling  them  to  compete  successfully  with 
their  foreign  rivals.  This  joint  enterprise  is  doing 
very  well  and  business  is  increasing  rapidly,  so  I 
have  every  reason  to  believe  that  co-operation  of 
this  nature  can  be  extended  to  other  fields  and  will 
form  the  keynote  of  prosperity  to  both  countries. 

A glance  at  the  chief  articles  of  import  and 
export  between  Japan  and  America  will  show  that 
the  trade  of  the  two  countries  is  of  a very’’  promis- 
ing nature,  each  country  supplying  the  deficiency 
of  the  other.  America  imports  from  Japan 
camphor,  raw  silk,  tea,  etc.,  while  Japan  imports 
raw  cotton,  railway  material,  machinery,  etc.,  from 
America;  thus  no  competition  is  created  between 
the  home-made  and  imported  goods  in  either 


Japan  and  America 


49 


country,  while  the  increased  imports  of  one 
country  are  of  direct  advantage  to  the  other 
country,  no  matter  whether  they  are  in  the  form 
of  raw  materials  or  manufactured  articles. 

I have  endeavoured  to  show  that  commerce  is 
the  backbone  of  international  intercourse,  and  that 
by  mutual  co-operation  the  commercial  relations 
of  Japan  and  America  will  be  so  firmly  cemented 
that  peace  and  prosperity  will  forever  illumine 
the  future  Great  Highway  of  the  World,  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 


AMERICA  AND  JAPAN  ALWAYS  FRIENDS 


KAHEI  OTANI 

[Hon.  Kahei  Otani,  export  merchant,  ex-member  of  the 
House  of  Peers,  President  of  the  Yokohama  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, of  the  Japan  Tea  Mfg.  Co.,  of  Yokohama  Water 
Works  Bureau,  etc.;  bom,  1855,  in  Ise;  educated  by  himself; 
in  1872  founded  a tea  manufacturing  company  and  has  since 
made  large  contributions  to  the  improvement  of  Japanese  tea 
industry;  in  1898  he  was  elected,  with  the  unanimous  approval 
of  the  tea  merchants  in  Japan,  as  their  representative  to  visit 
America  in  order  to  make  representations  to  President  Mc- 
Kinley; during  his  stay  in  the  United  States,  he  also  attended 
the  International  Commercial  Congress,  Philadelphia,  repre- 
senting the  Tokyo  and  Yokohama  Chambers  of  Commerce; 
in  1909  he  was  a member  of  the  Japanese  Commercial  Com- 
mission to  America.] 

I WAS  engaged  in  the  tea  business  before  Japan 
entered  upon  her  modern  era  with  the  Meiji 
Restoration.  I am  one  of  the  men  who  have  been 
interested  in  this  field  of  trade  for  the  longest 
period. 

In  reviewing  my  career  as  a tea  trader,  ex- 
tending for  over  threescore  years,  I remember  one 
striking  incident.  It  is  an  experience  that  I always 
look  back  to  as  the  most  happy  memory. 

The  American  Government  imposed  a special 
import  tariff  duty  upon  tea  in  1894,  shortly  after 

50 


America  and  Japan  Always  Friends  51 


the  conclusion  of  the  Spanish  War.  A duty  at  the 
rate  of  ten  cents  a pornid  was  enforced.  This  new 
tariff  rate  was  a severe  and  almost  cruel  blow  to  all 
the  Japanese  tea  merchants.  The  duty  on  tea 
was  higher  even  than  its  cost.  To  make  the  matter 
worse,  the  American  Government  handicapped 
us  in  business  competition  by  allowing  the  free 
importation  of  coffee.  The  result  of  such  a new 
tariff  measure  could  only  be  disastrous  to  the 
business.  The  quotation  of  tea  began  steadily 
to  fall.  A panic  was  caused  among  all  capitalists 
as  well  as  workers  connected  with  its  production 
and  trade.  Many  were  forced  to  uproot  the  tea- 
trees  on  their  farms  to  prepare  the  land  for  some 
more  remunerative  products,  as  the  only  means 
of  meeting  the  situation. 

There  was  only  one  possible  way  out  of  the 
extreme  situation,  in  the  general  opinion  of  our 
tea  traders.  The  National  Tea  Traders’  Associa- 
tion urgently  requested  me  to  go  to  the  United 
States  of  America  to  open  and  manage  a campaign 
for  the  abolition  of  the  import  tariff  on  tea.  It 
then  chanced  that  I received  an  invitation  from 
America  to  attend  the  international  Trade  Con- 
vention to  be  held  in  Philadelphia.  I decided  to 
accept  this  courtesy,  and  at  the  same  time  to  avail 
myself  of  this  opportunity  to  work  for  the  benefit 
of  our  tea  traders. 

On  the  eve  of  my  departure  for  America,  the 
governor  of  the  prefecture  of  Kanagawa  suggested 
to  me  that  I might  submit  to  the  convention  a 


52  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


scheme  for  laying  a cable  line  across  the  Pacific. 
The  governor  said  that  such  an  enterprise  would 
be  a great  material  blessing  not  only  to  the 
countries  on  that  sea,  but  to  all  the  world.  He 
encouraged  me  to  work  for  this  scheme  in  the  cause 
of  the  world’s  civilization.  The  Minister  of 
Communications  was  also  of  the  same  view  and 
enthusiastic  in  encouraging  me.  I was  only  too 
glad  to  put  forth  my  utmost  efforts  for  the  cause. 

On  yet  another  mission  I was  to  be  despatched 
to  America.  The  Hawaiian  Islands  had  just 
been  annexed  by  America.  As  a result  of  this, 
the  shipping  business  between  Hawaii  and  San 
Francisco  passed  out  of  the  foreigners’  hands,  as 
the  American  law  gave  the  privilege  of  coast  trade 
to  American  vessels  only.  I was  asked  to  appeal 
for  a compromise  on  the  part  of  the  American 
Government  in  favour  of  the  Japanese  shipping 
firms  which  had  been  engaged  in  shipping  service 
between  Hawaii  and  San  Francisco.  Thus,  with 
the  weighty  burden  of  a triple  mission  upon  my 
shoulders,  I went  over  to  America. 

At  the  convention  in  Philadelphia  I caused  my 
representative  to  speak  upon  the  proposition  I 
brought  from  Japan.  Our  views  were  received 
very  favourably  and  our  representations  were 
strongly  supported  on  every  occasion.  Realizing 
the  necessity  of  enlisting  the  Government  authori- 
ties in  our  cause,  I approached  Mr.  Lyman  Gage, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  through  the  introduc- 
tion of  Mr.  Komura,  then  our  American  Minister. 


America  and  Japan  Always  Friends  53 


Secretary  Gage,  after  attentively  listening  to  our 
appeal  for  the  abolition  of  the  tea  import  tariff, 
said  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  doing  so 
as  the  new  system  had  been  introduced  with  a 
view  to  protecting  the  tea  business  in  the  South. 
He  said  that  the  measure  was  part  of  the  policy 
of  the  protective  tariff  pursued  by  the  American 
Government. 

I then  reminded  Secretary  Gage  of  the  fact  that 
Commodore  Perry  of  the  American  Navy  opened 
the  long-closed  portals  of  Japan  to  the  modem 
world,  and  the  fact  that  it  was  tea  that  was  first 
brought  to  America  from  Japan — tea  was  the  first 
item  recorded  in  the  history  of  the  commercial 
relations  between  the  two  nations.  I said  that 
tea  was  really  the  thing  that  united  the  two  peoples 
on  the  Pacific  in  bonds  of  commercial  and  friendly 
alliance.  I felt,  therefore,  that  it  was  not  right 
to  enforce  any  tariff  measure  injurious  to  the  tea 
trade,  even  in  consideration  of  the  existing  comity 
between  the  tw'o  peoples.  Secretary  Gage  ap- 
peared more  or  less  impressed  by  my  statement, 
and  advised  me  to  see  Mr.  James  Wilson,  Secre- 
tary of  Agriculture,  in  the  matter,  and  gave  me  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  him. 

Mr.  Wilson  objected  to  our  representation  at 
first,  offering  the  same  grounds  in  support  of  the 
tariff  measure  as  Mr.  Gage  had  offered.  After 
listening  to  our  views,  however,  he  introduced  me 
to  President  McKinley.  The  President  received 
us  in  the  most  sincere  and  friendly  manner. 


54  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


Having  attentively  listened  to  our  case,  and  hold- 
ing my  hand  all  the  time,  he  advised  us  to  offer 
our  representations  by  letters,  to  the  Secretaries 
of  the  Treasury  and  Agriculture. 

Our  cause  was  won  through  the  sympathy  of  the 
American  Government.  The  tea  business  of  Japan 
was  revived  and  has  lived  developing  and  prosper- 
ing until  now.  This  experience  is  and  shall  be 
remembered  as  the  most  satisfactory  contribution 
that  I have  ever  made  to  our  nation  and  its  friend. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  relate  my  experience  to  claim 
honour  for  myself.  I have  dwelt  upon  the  incident 
in  the  hope  of  showing  the  sincerity  and  openness 
of  the  American  character.  It  is  my  hope  to 
emphasize  that  there  are  such  feelings  between 
America  and  Japan  as  betw'een  a mother  and  her 
child.  The  American  people  regard  Japan  with 
maternal  affection  and  pride  as  a people  that  they 
have  brought  up  under  their  own  care.  I am 
confirmed  in  the  belief  that  it  is  the  blessed  bond 
of  deepest  mutual  sympathy  that  imites  us  with 
the  great  nation  of  America  as  good  and  true 
friends. 

In  1909  I joined  the  Japanese  Business  Men’s 
Tour  to  America,  representing  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  Yokohama.  On  our  extended  trip 
to  that  coimtry,  we  visited  more  than  fifty  great 
cities.  We  were  given  everyw’here  we  went  such  a 
glorious  reception  as  we  could  scarcely  imagine  at 
home.  In  going  through  the  country  in  that  way, 
we  could  come  to  no  other  conelusion  than  that 


America  and  Japan  Always  Friends  55 


the  anti- Japanese  sentiment  was  mere  talk  of 
vapouring. 

Fiirthermore,  when  we  recall  what  sympathy 
was  shown  toward  us  in  the  times  of  our  wars  with 
China  and  Russia,  and  when  we  realize  that  the 
sentiment  of  the  American  people  has  remained 
the  same  since  those  days,  any  anti- Japanese  feeling 
seems  absurd. 

As  for  the  unpleasant  movements  in  California, 
I believe  that  both  parties  are  to  blame.  The 
majority  of  Japanese  working  in  America  are 
without  education  and  cannot  adapt  themselves 
to  the  customs  of  their  new  country.  They  can- 
not associate  on  equal  terms  with  their  new  friends. 
Such  being  the  case,  only  the  lowest  section  of  the 
Japanese  are  being  discriminated  against  or 
excluded  in  America.  The  more  respectable 
classes  of  Japanese  are  well  treated  and  respected 
by  the  Americans.  It  is  a striking  illustration  of 
this  fact  that  there  has  been  no  anti -Japanese 
movement  in  Chicago  or  New  York.  In  California 
and  other  Pacific  Coast  States  only  has  unfriend- 
liness been  shown  toward  our  people.  This  is 
because  many  Japanese  in  those  regions  are 
unworthy.  Moreover,  most  of  those  Japanese 
are  employed,  and  for  that  reason  they  are  often 
prejudiced  against  their  employers.  Many  other 
reasons  and  circumstances  go  together  to  make 
them  imdesirable  immigrants.  On  the  other  hand, 
only  a class  of  ignorant  men  make  trouble  by 
tiying  to  exclude  the  Japanese  workers  for  com- 


56  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


mercial,  industrial,  or  some  other  reason.  It  is 
absurd,  therefore,  to  think  that  those  Americans 
represent  the  sentiment  of  the  great  American 
nation,  of  which  they  are  only  a fractional  part. 

The  relations  between  America  and  Japan  are 
superior  to  such  little  disturbances  as  are  brought 
about  by  the  anti- Japanese  movement  devised 
or  managed  by  these  few  Americans.  The  two 
nations  are  related  to  each  other  in  such  a way 
that  the  idea  that  any  trifling  trouble  like  that 
would  impair  their  friendship  must  be  positively 
rejected.  We  are  confident  that  America  will  even 
strengthen  her  comity  with  us  by  force  of  the 
true,  strong,  and  wholesome  opinion  of  her  people, 
and  will  justly  settle  any  question  that  may  arise 
between  her  and  Japan  or  that  may  threaten  to 
impair  their  friendship.  I am  most  optimistic 
in  this  matter,  because  I have  supreme  confidence 
in  the  good  sense  and  sincerity  of  the  American 
people. 


TO  THE  AMERICAN  NATION 

SHIGEO  SUYEHIRO 

[Prof.  Shigeo  Suyehiro,  Hogaku  Hakushi  (Doctor  of  Laws), 
professor  at  the  Law  School  of  Kyoto  Imperial  University; 
contributor  to  various  law  journals.] 


It  ismuchto  be  regretted,  for  American -Japanese 
good  fellowship,  that  last  year  the  Alien  Land- 
ownership  Bill  was  made  a definite  law  by  the 
Californian  Legislature,  despite  the  protests  of 
the  Japanese  Government.  Our  public  opinion 
was  then  excited  over  the  anti- Japanese  measure, 
the  more  impetuous  going  to  the  length  of  insisting 
on  the  advisability  of  retaliation.  Was  that 
attitude  of  ours  improper? 

In  recent  years,  America  has  been  treating  us 
in  a way  rather  unpleasant  to  us.  In  more  than 
one  instance,  it  was  only  with  a lingering  sense  of 
gratitude  for  her  past  friendship  that  we  endured 
what  we  could  not  otherwise  have  endured. 

For  did  not  America  propose  that  the  railroads 
in  Manchuria  be  neutralized?  Was  she  justified 
in  requiring  us  to  renounce  the  concession  that 
we  had  acquired,  with  other  interests,  at  the 
great  cost  of  100,000  souls  and  2,000,000,000  yen? 

57 


58  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


Was  it,  again,  becoming  in  a friendly  nation  to 
intend,  as  she  did,  to  bring  pressure  to  bear  upon 
us,  with  the  assistance  of  other  Powers,  in  order 
to  accomplish  her  object?  What  would  she  have 
done  if  she  had  been  Japan?  It  was  both  natural 
and  reasonable  that  all  Japan  opposed  that  pro- 
posal by  America. 

Then,  we  had  the  so-called  Japanese  school 
affair.  It  is  true  that  it  involved  the  interests 
of  only  a small  handful  of  Japanese  children  in 
San  Francisco.  But,  had  it  not  been  for  our 
earnest  desire  to  maintain  peace,  national  honour 
would  not  have  allowed  us  to  suffer,  without  any 
justification  (and  it  was  evident  from  the  testimony 
of  the  educational  authorities  at  the  metropohs 
that  there  was  no  justification  whatever),  a dis- 
crimination between  our  children  and  their  white 
compeers,  as  if  the  former  were  of  an  inferior  race. 
For  the  sake  of  peace,  we  showed  a great  power 
of  self-control  and  managed  to  settle  the  dispute 
by  prohibiting  the  Japanese  in  Hawaii  to  migrate 
to  the  American  continent.  Wliat  would  America 
have  done  if  she  had  been  Japan? 

At  a later  date,  we  further  concluded  an  agree- 
ment with  the  Washington  Government  to  restrict 
our  labour  emigration  to  America.  And  this 
agreement  has  been  kept  by  us  loyally  and  rigidly 
— nay,  a bit  too  rigidly,  for  our  authorities  have 
even  prevented  many  students  from  going  to  the 
United  States,  lest  workmen,  under  the  guise  of 
students,  should  attempt  to  emigrate.  Apphca- 


To  the  American  Nation 


59 


tions  for  passports  by  these  ambitious  boys,  who 
wanted  to  prosecute  their  studies  in  America,  have 
been  rejected,  for  the  most  part.  Moreover,  even 
in  case  one  applies  for  permission  to  travel  in 
Mexico,  one  is  subjected  to  a very  rigid  and 
red-tape  investigation  by  the  local  authorities 
concerned,  and  if  it  becomes  known  that  one’s 
relatives  or  friends  happen  to  be  residing  in  the 
United  States,  the  application  is  never  granted, 
for  there  is  a possibility  that  he  might  illegally 
pass  the  Mexican  frontier  into  the  northern  re- 
public. That  last  fall  fifteen  reckless  Japanese  at- 
tempted, to  the  astonishment  of  some  Americans, 
to  cross  the  Pacific  Ocean  in  a boat  of  ten  tons, 
throws  a sidelight  upon  the  restriction  of  emigrants 
on  the  part  of  the  Tokyo  Government.  If,  as 
certain  anti- Japanese  Americans  complain  of,  it 
were  unfaithful  to  its  “gentlemen’s  agreement’’ 
with  the  United  States,  who  in  the  world  would 
undertake  such  an  adventture? 

As  a natural  result  of  Japan’s  restriction  of 
emigration,  out  of  a sincere  regard  for  peace, 
during  the  last  few  years,  her  subjects  coming 
home  every  year  from  America  have  outnumbered 
those  that  have  gone  there.  In  1913,  5273  Japan- 
ese males  left  the  United  States  for  their  native 
country,  against  3541  males  who  immigrated. 
True,  the  Japanese  population  in  America  shows 
no  decrease,  but  this  is  because  of  the  increasing 
number  of  females  and  children,  who  enjoy  citizen- 
ship under  American  law. 


6o  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


Nor  is  California  an  exception  to  this  general 
tendency.  Japanese  males  in  the  State  are  yearly 
decreasing  on  accoiint  of  our  “gentlemen’s  agree- 
ment.’’ Compared  with  the  year  1908,  when  the 
restriction  had  begun  to  tell,  our  males  there  w’ere 
reduced,  by  1913,  by  the  considerable  number 
of  10,544.  Consequently,  the  working  power  of 
Californian  Japanese  has  already  declined  by  one 
fifth;  and  will  continue  to  do  so  in  proportion 
to  the  number  of  departures.  Thus,  Japanese 
industry  in  that  State  is  on  the  wane. 

In  this  condition  of  affairs,  it  is  only  a question 
of  time  when  our  people  in  California  will  be  en- 
tirely wiped  out,  with  which  the  anti-Japanese 
elements  in  the  State  should  be  contented.  But, 
far  from  that,  they  want  to  destroy  Japanese 
industry  there  as  quickly  as  possible;  hence  the 
enactment  of  the  Alien  Land  Law.  Fmther, 
there  are  rumours  that  a bill  for  depriving  us  of 
our  right  of  leasing  agricultural  land  will  be  intro- 
duced to  the  State  Legislature  next  year.  They 
have  already  smitten  us  on  our  right  cheek;  now 
they  seem  to  demand  of  us  to  turn  our  left  to 
them.  What  would  America  do  if  she  were 
Japan?  Would  she  endure  all  this  discrimination 
and  humiliation  without  a murmur?  I,  for  one, 
do  not  think  that  the  self-assertive  Americans 
would  submit  to  such  treatment  as  we  are  receiv- 
ing at  their  hands. 

We  are  a peace-loving  nation.  Our  endurance 
has  stood  the  successive  tests  of  the  Manchurian 


To  the  American  Nation 


6i 


railway  question,  the  school  affair,  the  immigra- 
tion flurry,  the  Californian  Land  Law  dispute; 
it  will  stand  more,  because  we  are  bent  on  the 
maintenance  of  peace.  But  with  a view  to  a 
speedy  and  amicable  settlement  of  the  outstanding 
complication,  we  claim  that  America  accede  to 
one  of  the  two  alternatives — the  granting  of  the 
right  of  naturalization  to  the  Japanese,  or  the 
conclusion  of  a treaty  to  guarantee  their  rights 
of  owning  land  or  of  leasing  farms.  I venture  to 
say  this  is  no  extravagant  claim.  Justice  demands 
that  America  shall  treat  the  Japanese  on  equal 
terms  with  European  immigrants,  since  she  has 
permitted  the  former  to  enter  and  live  on  her  land. 
If  it  is  a question  of  granting  such  rights  to  millions 
of  Japanese,  it  may  be  too  serious  for  America 
to  consent;  but  it  is  a matter  that  involves  only 
90,000  residents.  Is  she  still  reluctant  to  comply 
with  our  claim?  If  she  rejects  it,  I am  afraid  that 
the  day  will  come  when  our  friendship  toward  her 
shall  cease. 

Such  friendship  is,  as  I believe,  not  valueless  to 
America.  If  she  lost  it  now,  she  would  some  day  or 
other  realize  to  her  great  regret  the  disadvantage 
of  dealing  with  an  unfriendly  Japan  in  this  part 
of  the  globe.  To  disregard  Japan’s  trifling  claim, 
with  the  result  of  giving  rise  to  difficulties  in  their 
Far-Eastern  politics,  would  not  be  consistent  with 
the  wise  statesmanship  of  the  Americans.  Let  me 
appeal  to  their  keen  sense  of  self-interest. 


TO  THE  PEACE-LOVING  AMERICANS 


YUKIO  OZAKI 

[Hon.  Yukio  Ozaki,  ex-Mayor  of  Tokyo,  M.  P.;  born  Dec., 
1859;  studied  at  Keio  and  then  at  Kogakuryo  (former  En- 
gineering College  of  Tokyo  University);  he  began  his  career 
as  journalist  in  1881 ; he  founded  the  Kaishinto  (a  powerful 
progressive  political  party)  with  the  assistance  of  Count 
Okuma  and  became  one  of  its  leaders;  in  1897  became  councillor 
to  the  Department  of  Foreign  Affairs;  was  appointed  Minister 
of  Education  when  the  Constitutional  Party  Cabinet  was 
formed  under  the  premiership  of  Count  Okuma,  the  following 
year,  which  post  he  had  to  resign  soon  afterwards;  then  he 
joined  the  Seiyukai,  a new  political  party  under  presidency  of 
Prince  Ito;  in  1903,  he  left  Seiyukai  and  was  elected  Mayor  of 
Tokyo;  in  1913,  resigned  mayorship  and  rejoined  the  Seiyukai; 
he  is  the  author  of  Gakudo-Shu,  Learning  and  Human  Life, 
and  many  other  books.] 


Perhaps  most  of  you  know  that  it  sometimes 
happens  that  there  are  two  friends  who  are  very 
fond  of  one  another,  but  each  imagines  that  his 
own  feelings  are  not  reciprocated  by  the  other. 
Are  not  people  of  the  Hobson  type  both  in  America 
and  Japan  somewhat  like  these  hysterical  persons? 

Our  relations  have  been  always  good,  and  will 
be,  and  yet  the  mischief-makers  in  both  countries 
imagine  that  we  are  enemies,  not  friends.  A 
Japanese  old  proverb  says,  “There  is  no  remedy 

62 


To  the  Peace-Loving  Americans  63 


for  fools.”  And  hysterical  subjects  are  equally 
difficult  to  be  cured.  But  why  are  we  afraid  of 
them? 

If  there  is  a small  minority  of  mischief-makers, 
we  peace-makers  command  a great  majority  in 
the  Parliament  of  Man.  Not  only  is  the  right 
on  our  side,  but  the  might  is  also  on  our  side.  Let 
us,  then,  combine  our  forces  and  march  against 
the  noisy  clique  of  such  mischief-makers. 

During  my  short  visit  to  the  United  States  in 
1910,  everywhere  I saw  signs  of  good-will  and 
kindness  toward  Japan — even  San  Francisco, 
the  so-called  hotbed  of  the  anti- Japanese  move- 
ments, was  not  an  exception  to  the  rule.  Do 
you  want  further  proof  of  the  good  feeling  that 
unites  the  two  Pacific  nations?  Our  conclusion 
of  the  new  treaty  in  advance  of  any  other  coun- 
try would  be  one  of  the  most  substantial  kind. 

If  the  voice  of  the  mischief-makers  is  louder  than 
ours,  it  is  only  because  we  are  silent.  We,  men  of 
peace,  are  generally  too  quiet  and  too  modest.  We 
ought  to  shout  and  fight,  as  much  as  our  noisy  op- 
ponents, for  our  cause  is  noble  and  sacred.  Let  us 
speak  out  our  hearts;  let  the  joyous  voice  of  peace 
drown  the  wicked  cry  for  war ; and  let  it  echo  and 
re-echo  in  melodious  harmony  from  both  sides 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 


EXCLUSIONISTS  NOT  TRUE  TO  THE  PRIN- 
CIPLES OF  AMERICA’S  FOUNDERS 


SEI-ICHIRO  TERASHIMA 


[Count  Sei-ichiro  Terashima,  member  of  the  House  of  Peers; 
he  was  bom  in  October,  1870,  in  Tokyo,  as  eldest  son  of  the 
late  Munenori  Terashima,  one  of  the  greatest  diplomats  Japan 
has  ever  produced;  was  graduated  from  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1895  and  continued  his  studies  at  Paris,  1895-1904; 
came  again  to  the  United  States,  attending  Prince  Fushimi, 
Sept.,  1904;  was  appointed  private  secretary  to  the  late  Count 
Hayashi,  Foreign  Minister,  1905.] 

I MYSELF  was  educated  in  America.  While  I 
know  her  weak  points,  I am  perfectly  aware  of  her 
strong  points.  My  sentiment  toward  her  has 
ever  been  one  of  reverence;  so  that  I wonder  why 
she  so  often  disgraces  the  reputation  of  a great 
democracy  by  her  ways  of  dealing  with  her  own 
race  problem. 

Americans  always  pride  themselves  on  the  equal- 
ity of  opportunity,  as  well  as  the  religious  and  politi- 
cal freedom,  which  they  enjoy  in  a much  greater 
degree  than  other  peoples.  But  in  what  manner 
have  they  been  treating  Jews  ? The  Jews  in  Amer- 
ica have  produced  many  men  of  note.  One  of  the 
most  learned  and  most  influential  members  of  the 

64 


Exclusionists  and  America’s  P'ounders  65 

second  Roosevelt  Cabinet  was  Oscar  Straus.  He 
is  a Jew.  Jacob  Schiff,  who  has  very  sound  views 
as  a great  capitalist  and  philanthropist,  is  another. 
In  the  United  States  there  are  many  more  of  such 
extraordinary  characters  of  Hebrew  origin.  Still, 
the  American  Jews  are  denied  such  a status  as 
their  fellow-citizens  are  accorded.  Again,  the 
negroes  are  discriminated  against  as  a race  that 
cannot  claim  equal  treatment.  To  be  sure,  the 
average  negro  is  inferior  to  his  white  brethren  in 
his  intellectual  abihties,  and  there  is  a show  of 
reason  for  such  discrimination;  but  the  attitude 
of  the  white  Americans  toward  him  is  one  of 
extreme  racial  antipathy.  An  illustration  of  that 
is  lynching.  However  much  they  may  feel  them- 
selves justified  in  the  practice  of  lynching,  the 
fact  remains  that  the  institution  is  not  only  unlaw- 
ful but  savage  and  inhuman.  Nor  are  their 
persecutions  confined  to  Jews  and  negroes.  The 
Chinese,  who  were  very  instrumental  in  develop- 
ing America’s  Pacific  Coast,  have  been  finally  ex- 
cluded. And  the  Japanese  are  now  being  told  to 
get  away.  All  this  is  a matter  for  great  regret  to 
me  to  whom  America  is  the  dearest  next  to  my 
own  native  country. 

Well,  the  Americans  are  not  a homogeneous 
people.  The  former  masters  of  their  land  were 
the  American  Indians,  who  were  gradually  dis- 
placed by  the  whites.  In  1648,  the  colonists 
numbered  only  21,000.  A large  influx  of  immi- 
gration began  in  1830.  Since  then,  so  many 


5 


66  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


immigrants  have  come  that  American  nationality 
has  undergone  a change.  By  the  incoming  of 
these  aliens,  the  homogeneity  of  the  community 
has  been  destroyed.  America  now  comprises 
quite  a number  of  small  Italies,  small  Syrias,  small 
Jerusalems,  small — I need  not  mention  any  more. 
Many  vortexes  of  nationality  are  whirling  in  the 
human  sea  of  America. 

The  strength  of  a nation  is  in  proportion  to  the 
strength  of  its  imited  forces;  and  the  existence  of 
such  diverse  races  in  America  tends  to  constitute 
a weakness  in  her  national  unity.  The  thinking 
people  in  the  United  States  have  begun  to  take 
the  matter  into  serious  consideration.  They 
are  now  earnestly  studying  how  to  stop  these 
tendencies. 

The  recent  immigrants  are  quite  different  from 
the  old  ones,  not  in  their  mental  and  moral  char- 
acter alone,  but  also  in  their  physical  constitution. 
They  are  increasing  at  a greater  rate  than  the 
Americans  of  native  parentage.  Which  elements 
of  the  nation  are  they,  one  may  ask,  that  have  been 
trying  to  exclude  Asiatics?  Are  they  those  who 
founded  the  Republic,  or  their  descendants?  Or 
are  they  newer  elements — that  is,  more  recent 
immigrants,  or  their  children?  If  all  the  Ameri- 
cans of  to-day  were  the  same  in  type  and  ideals  as 
the  original  Americans,  as  the  founders  of  the 
great  Republic,  their  spirit  of  freedom  and  equal- 
ity, as  well  as  their  democratism,  would  never  have 


allowed  them  to 


indertake  such  a thing  as  the 


Exclusionists  and  America’s  Founders  67 

exclusion  of  Japanese.  They  would  never  have 
closed  their  doors  against  us.  They  would  never 
have  denied  us  an  equal  opportunity.  Seeing  that 
they  have  done  all  this,  I wonder  if  it  is  not  the 
more  recent  settlers — Americans  of  a later  type. 

The  Japanese  that  are  living  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  are  only  some  50,000  in  number.  As  our 
government  has  rigidly  kept  its  “gentlemen’s 
agreement’’  with  America,  and  has  been  prohibit- 
ing the  emigration  of  labourers  to  that  country, 
the  50,000  Japanese  cannot  be  expected  to  in- 
crease rapidly.  The  first  generation  of  these 
immigrants  may  not  be  Americanized  in  their 
manners  and  ideals,  but  the  second  are  American 
rather  than  Japanese  in  these  respects.  To  them 
monarchism  does  not  appeal  any  more.  Little 
allegiance  have  they  to  the  native  country  of  their 
parents.  This  is  what  some  patriots  at  home  are 
worrying  about.  In  the  circumstances,  it  is 
incomprehensible  that  Americans  should  go  on 
persecuting  the  Japanese  to  the  length  of  depriving 
them  of  their  land. 

As  I have  implied,  that  Americans  who  show 
antipathies  toward  the  white  Jews  should  exclude 
a yellow  race  may  be  only  natural.  Again,  in 
view  of  the  necessity  of  consolidating  their  na- 
tional unity,  it  may  be  that  they  cannot  afford 
to  have  complicated,  by  the  influx  of  Asiatics, 
their  own  race  problem,  which  has  already  been  so 
great  a source  of  embarrassment.  The  Japanese, 
however,  do  not  cling  to  their  native  customs  and 


68  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


manners,  a trait  that  distinguishes  them  from  the 
more  conservative  Chinese. 

Moreover,  a considerable  portion  of  the  Japanese 
on  the  Pacific  Slope  are  farmers  or  farm-hands. 
While  the  city  life  of  the  recent  arrivals  from 
southern  Europe  tends  to  make  them  an  unde- 
sirable element  in  the  community,  the  Japanese 
show  a proclivity  to  scatter  over  the  rural  districts. 
As  most  of  them  are  agricultural  workers,  they 
can  do  little  toward  affecting  the  homogeneity  of 
the  American  character.  Neither  are  they  habitual 
violators  of  American  laws.  They  are  faithful 
tillers  of  the  soil.  In  this  respect,  they  make 
better  immigrants  than  their  southern  European 
compeers. 

Supposing  that  the  Japanese  are  as  bad  as  the 
worst  of  the  newcomers  from  Europe?  The 
Japanese  question  is  simply  a question  concerning 
the  50,000  Japanese  in  the  Pacific  States.  The 
number  is  only  one  fifth  of  the  red  Indians  w-hom 
America  is  generous  enough  to  let  alone  in  their 
reservations.  That,  therefore,  she  is  so  hard  upon 
the  Japanese  as  to  deprive  them  of  their  land  and 
the  right  to  own  land,  is  a matter  that  I can  hardly 
understand. 

Let  her  people  return  to  the  true  spirit  of 
democracy.  Let  them  re-form  themselves  upon 
the  type  of  George  Washington  or  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Then  their  attitude  toward  us  would 
become  very  different  from  their  present  one. 
Whether,  or  not,  the  change  in  the  American 


Exclusionists  and  America’s  Founders  69 

national  type  is  good  for  America  herself,  is  another 
question — a question  I am  not  concerned  here  to 
discuss.  To  say  the  least,  the  exclusion  of  the 
Japanese  is  not  consistent  with  the  spirit  of 
America’s  founders.  I confidently  believe  that 
her  better  elements,  as  champions  of  justice  and 
humanity,  will  not  tolerate  such  an  anomaly  and 
injustice. 


TENDENCIES  OF  JAPANESE-AMERICAN 
TRADE 

KENZO  IWAHARA 

[Mr.  Kenzo  Iwahara,  Managing  Director  of  the  Mitsui 
Bussan  Kaisha,  Director  of  the  Oji  Paper  Mills  Co.  and  of 
the  Shibaura  Engineering  Works;  bom  Nov.,  1863,  in  Ishikawa 
Prefecture;  studied  at  Osaka  English  Language  School  and 
Mitsubishi  Mercantile  Marine  School;  in  1890  he  became 
manager  of  the  Kobe  branch  of  Mitsui  & Co.;  the  same  year, 
was  dispatched  to  America  to  investigate  conditions  of  silk 
textile  trade,  and  when  a new  branch  office  was  estabhshed 
in  New  York  by  Mitsui  & Co.,  was  appointed  its  manager; 
after  his  return  home,  was  made  director  and  then  managing 
director  of  the  firm.] 


Of  our  export  goods  to  America  those  that 
occupy  the  most  important  positions  are,  needless 
to  say,  raw  silk,  habutai  silks,  and  tea.  Next  in 
importance  come  copper,  straw  braids,  china- 
wares,  etc. 

The  export  of  raw  silk  is  steadily  increasing 
year  after  year.  There  may  be  periods  of  fluctua- 
tions in  the  amount  of  raw  silk  exported,  on  ac- 
count of  crop  conditions  at  home  and  abroad,  but 
to-day  silk  being  no  longer  an  article  of  luxmy, 
nay  a necessity,  its  demand  is,  to  be  sure,  bound 
to  be  constant  and  large.  The  competition 

70 


Japanese-American  Trade 


71 


challenged  by  the  Italian  or  the  French  products 
need  not  wony^  us  to  any  great  extent.  Only  when 
China  shall  adopt  more  modem  methods  of  pro- 
ducing silk  and  send  finer  goods  to  the  American 
market,  shall  we  have  a great  competitor  to  deal 
with.  The  Chinese  method  of  silk  reeling  is  many 
degrees  more  antiquated  than  oirrs,  and  although 
the  Chinese  cocoons  are  often  much  better  than 
ours,  the  raw  siLc  cannot  in  the  near  future  be 
taken  as  a formidable  competitor  of  ours  so  long 
as  it  remains  in  the  present  state.  We  must, 
therefore,  endeavour  to  hold  the  advantageous 
position  thus  acquired  in  America,  and  we  are 
confident  that  we  will  be  able  to  do  so. 

The  habutai  silk  has  been  an  important  article 
of  export  to  America,  so  far,  but  whether  it  can 
maintain  its  position  for  any  length  of  time  it  is 
hard  to  conjecture.  My  doubt  as  to  this  is 
justified  by  the  statistics  in  the  last  few  years 
which  show  no  increase  in  the  export  amount. 
This  is  due  mainly  to  the  fact  that  many  substitutes 
for  our  habutai  have  come  to  be  manufactured 
in  America,  such  as  cotton  mixtures,  mercerized 
silk,  etc.,  which  means  a severe  blow  to  our  goods. 
I have  been  of  the  opinion  for  some  years  that 
habutai  will  not  have  a long  future  in  the  American 
market,  and  this  belief  is  at  last  proving  to  be 
true.  We  may  as  well  give  up  our  dream  of  hold- 
ing our  habutai  in  competition  with  the  American 
silk  manufacturers,  and  rather  we  should  direct 
oiu:  attention  in  developing  the  market  for  this 


72  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


article  in  Europe,  India,  Australia,  South  America, 
and  South  Africa. 

That  it  is  very  difficult  to  advance  far  beyond  the 
present  position  of  our  tea  trade  in  America,  as 
in  the  habutai  trade,  can  be  observed  from  the 
statistics  of  export  of  this  article  to  America  in 
the  past  ten  years.  Green  tea  is  not  very  exten- 
sively patronized  by  the  Americans.  When  the 
Indian  and  the  Chinese  tea  shall  bring  great  pres- 
sure upon  our  export  of  tea  to  America,  our  green 
tea,  we  are  afraid,  will  not  have  much  resisting 
power.  So  we  should  accept  the  unpleasant 
conclusion  that  only  raw  silk,  out  of  the  three 
articles — silk,  habutai,  and  tea — has  any  future 
in  the  American  market.  Unless  we  find  some 
other  articles  for  export  to  take  the  place  of  these, 
our  balance  of  trade  with  America  may  come  to 
show  an  excess  of  imports  instead  of  exports. 

What,  then,  may  take  the  place  of  habutai  and 
tea?  That  is  a rather  difficult  question  to  answer. 
It  is  hard  to  suggest  offhand  anjffhing  in  particular. 
But,  as  a result  of  the  development  of  your  fisher 
industry,  our  export  of  canned  crab  is  rapidly 
increasing.  This  is  an  instance  of  a product  which 
unexpectedly  met  the  taste  of  the  American  people. 
The  quality  of  the  crabs  for  canning  purposes 
may  be  improved  if  we  set  to  work  to  select  the 
products  of  the  sea  along  Hokkaido  and  Karafuto ; 
and  we  may  increase  greatly  the  amount  of  export 
if  we  systematize  the  methods  of  fishery  and  of  the 
manufacture  of  the  products.  Also  sleepers  for 


Japanese-American  Trade 


73 


railways  and  other  lumber  may  be  counted  among 
important  articles  of  export  to  America  in  future. 
Then  there  are  new  articles  of  commerce,  such  as 
bean  oil  and  bean  cake.  They  may  soon  become 
an  important  factor  of  exports.  Remember  that 
our  American  customers  possess  a great  purchasing 
power  and  we  should  exert  all  our  efforts  in  order 
to  discover  some  articles  to  take  the  place  of 
habutai,  tea,  and  straw  mats  as  exports  to  America. 
That  is  a pressing  duty  of  our  business  men  who 
are  engaged  in  the  foreign  trade. 

As  for  imports,  the  largest  amount  is  shown  by 
cotton.  Our  spinning  mills  have  a natural 
geographical  advantage.  We  can  import  cotton 
from  America,  India,  and  China,  and  mix  these 
different  staples  of  cotton  for  the  use  of  our  spin- 
ning mills.  In  this  we  have  an  advantage  over 
the  American  or  the  British  spinners.  Thus,  when 
American  cotton  rises  in  price,  we  may  cut  down 
our  importation  of  American  cotton  as  much  as  is 
proper,  and  substitute  it  with  the  Indian  cotton, 
and  as  soon  as  the  price  has  fallen  return  to  the 
American.  As  a matter  of  fact,  the  American 
cotton  has  of  late  years  fallen  a great  deal  in  price, 
and  there  have  been  many  and  large  contracts 
entered  for  its  importation.  To  be  sure,  fluctua- 
tions in  prices  must  of  necessity  regulate  the  im- 
portation; but  our  spinners  cannot  afford  to  do 
away  altogether  with  the  American  cotton  on 
account  of  our  advance  in  the  art  of  spinning  and 
tendency  to  use  better  staples,  and  there  always 


74  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


will  be  a substantial  amount  of  it  imported.  How- 
ever, we  should  not  forever  depend  upon  America 
for  supply  of  raw  materials,  which  is  contrary 
to  the  principle  of  national  economy.  We  are 
experimenting  with  cotton  plantations  in  Formosa 
and  Korea,  and  we  are  hoping  that  some  day  we 
may  realize  the  dream  that  we  may  be  able  to  stem 
the  importation  to  a certain  extent  with  our  home 
products. 

There  are  other  important  import  goods,  such 
as  wheat,  flour,  kerosene  oil,  and  various  kinds  of 
machinery.  Especially  has  the  importation  of 
machinery  within  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years  been 
increasing  in  a rapidly  accelerating  ratio.  For- 
merly, machinery  was  imported  almost  exclusively 
from  England.  But  once  the  American  machin- 
ery made  an  inroad  it  literally  swamped  the 
Japanese  market,  until  to-day  locomotives,  rails, 
electric  appliances,  telephone  apparatuses,  ice- 
making machines,  paper-making  machines,  mining 
machinery,  various  machinery  and  tools  for 
factories,  etc.,  used  in  Japan,  are  nearly  all  of 
American  make. 

There  is,  however,  one  thing  that  must  be  re- 
membered. Of  late  years,  Germany  is  utilizing 
her  scientific  knowledge  and  experience  for  making 
machinery,  and  is  challenging  American  machinery 
in  competition.  So  to-day  the  battle  is  on  be- 
tween America  and  Germany  for  the  possession  of 
the  Japanese  market.  Germany,  with  her  cheap 
labour,  combined  with  scientific  knowledge,  may 


Japanese- American  Trade  75 

have  her  day  as  a great  factor  in  the  Japanese 
market  with  her  machinery,  and  supersede  Ameri- 
ca. The  American  manufacturers  of  machinery 
shordd  beware  of  the  danger  Imking  at  their  door. 

Nevertheless,  Japanese- American  trade  is  bound 
to  go  through  a normal  growth  both  in  imports 
and  exports.  Lately  the  notion  has  taken  hold 
of  the  minds  of  some  of  the  intelligent  Americans 
that  American  goods  sold  to  Japan  are  small  in 
amoimt  compared  with  the  Japanese  goods  bought 
by  America,  and  therefore  the  trade  relations 
between  the  two  countries  are  one-sided.  But 
that  is  rather  too  much  to  expect  of  the  Japanese- 
American  trade.  Whether  or  not  American  goods 
will  be  sold  to  Japan  to  a large  amount  depends 
naturally  upon  their  prices.  If  the  prices  are  low, 
American  goods  will  find  a wide  market  in  Japan. 
Contrariwise,  no  matter  how  desirous  we  may  be 
to  promote  friendliness  between  the  two  nations, 
the  American  manufacturers  should  not  expect  to 
sell  their  goods  in  Japan  at  higher  prices.  The 
solution  of  the  problem  will,  therefore,  rest  entirely 
with  the  American  manufacturers.  They  should 
study  how  far  they  may  compete  with  the  Euro- 
pean manufacturers  in  the  Japanese  market. 

After  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal  to  com- 
merce, Japanese- American  trade  relations  will 
undergo  a great  revolution.  To-day  the  manu- 
factures of  the  eastern  States  of  America  are  being 
carried  through  the  Suez  Canal  to  Japan  in  sixty 
or  seventy  days.  These  goods  will  be  carried 


76  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


direct  through  the  Panama  Canal,  greatly  reduc- 
ing the  time  of  transportation.  This  will  mean  a 
substantial  reduction  of  cost  of  transport,  which 
in  turn  will  mean  that  the  day  will  come  when 
America  will  be  able  to  compete  favoiu-ably  with 
the  European  nations  in  Japan. 

Cotton  will  also  have  a better  position  of  being 
directly  transported  through  the  Canal,  avoiding 
the  high  rail  freight. 

As  to  wheat  and  flour,  they  may  materially 
change  our  position.  We  have  so  far  had  better 
facilities  for  Pacific  grain  coming  to  the  East,  as 
the  outlet  to  the  Eirropean  market  has  been  greatly 
checked  by  the  question  of  freight.  With  the 
opening  of  the  Canal,  this  barrier  being  taken  away, 
the  Pacific  grain  will  easily  reach  the  European 
market,  making  itself  an  international  article  of 
trade.  We  may  see  therefore  the  onrush  of 
Australian  grain,  etc.,  to  those  quarters  in  future 
in  the  absence  of  the  comparatively  cheap  Pacific 
crop,  which  practically  ruled  the  markets  up  to 
date. 

To  sum  up,  we  should  endeavour  with  all  our 
might  for  the  development  of  the  export  of  raw 
silk,  which  is  our  most  important  article  of  export, 
and  to  study  how  best  other  articles  may  be  turned 
into  important  exports.  On  the  other  hand,  we 
should  be  prepared  to  welcome  the  goods  manu- 
factured in  America,  our  biggest  customer,  when 
they  are  offered  at  prices  more  advantageous  than 
those  made  in  Europe. 


VARIOUS  STANDPOINTS  OF  PEACE- 
WORKERS 

YOSHIRO  SAKATANI 


[Baron  Sakatani,  Hogaku  Hakushi  (Doctor  of  Laws),  Mayor 
of  Tokyo;  Vice-President  of  the  Japan  Peace  Society;  born 
Feb.,  1863,  in  Bitchu;  was  graduated  from  Tokyo  Imperial 
University;  then  he  was  successively  councillor,  accountant. 
Director  of  Accountants’  Bureau,  Vice-Minister  (1901),  and 
Minister  (1906),  of  the  Financial  Department;  he  did  much  in 
helping  the  adoption  of  gold  standard  system;  besides  holding 
his  official  posts,  he  was  for  several  years  lecturer  and  instructor 
at  various  colleges;  has  been  Mayor  of  Tokyo  since  1912;  he 
is  the  author  of  The  Life  and  Work  of  Baron  Shihusawa,  The 
Financial  History  of  The  Meiji  Era,  etc.] 

During  a period  of  3357  years,  from  1496  b.c. 
to  1861  A.D.,  there  was  warfare  in  3130  years  and 
there  were  only  227  years  of  peace.  In  other 
words,  there  were  thirteen  years  of  war  to  every 
peaceful  year.  In  the  last  300  years  Europe  has 
had  266  wars.  Again,  during  a period  of  3360 
years,  from  1500  b.c.  to  i860  A.D.,  about  8000 
peace  treaties  were  concluded,  yet  none  of  these 
treaties  remained  in  full  efficiency  more  than  two 
years. 

As  the  above  figures  are  borrowed  from  a 
European  statistician,  it  is  to  be  doubted  whether 

77 


78  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


they  include  those  wars  or  peaces  that  were  made 
in  Asia  during  the  same  periods.  I have  reason 
to  think  that,  up  to  i86i,  warfare  in  the  whole 
world  was  more  frequent  than  these  statistics 
show.  But  as  the  human  race  progresses,  men 
have  come  to  take  measures  for  the  prevention  of 
wars.  It  may  be  of  some  interest  to  consider  here 
the  various  standpoints  of  such  peace-workers. 

(First)  Religionists,  especially  Christian  mis- 
sionaries, advocate  the  aboHtion  of  war  on  the 
ground  of  humanity.  If  self-murder  is  a crime 
in  itself,  how  can  the  murdering  of  others  be 
pardonable? — this  is  their  logic.  It  is  a simple, 
but  strong  logic,  and  it  forms  one  of  the  most 
important  foundations  of  peace-movement.  To 
the  enthusiastic  efforts  of  these  rehgionists,  our 
cause  owes  a great  deal  for  its  development. 

(Second)  The  grov1:h  of  sociaHsm  has  also 
been  reinforcing  the  peace-movement.  Some 
socialists,  aggrieved  by  the  modem  social  tendency 
to  make  the  gulf  between  the  poor  and  wealthy 
wider  and  wider,  seek  to  mitigate  the  burden  of 
the  poor  by  curtailing  the  cost  of  government. 
But  while  some  items  of  such  expenditures  may 
be  retrenched,  others  may  not  be.  Those  ex- 
penses that  are  calculated  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  humanity,  i.e.,  educational  expenses  or 
those  to  be  used  for  the  improvement  of  com- 
mercial and  industrial  life,  must  not  be  cut  dovn, 
for  every  dollar  curtailed  means  so  much  less 
for  the  good  of  the  human  race,  positively  or 


Various  Standpoints  of  Peace-Workers  79 


negatively.  On  the  other  hand,  such  as  the  naval 
and  military  expenses  may  be  retrenched  with 
advantage,  provided  that  it  is  done  in  a proper 
way.  A case  in  point  is  the  expenditure  entailed 
by  the  Russo-Japanese  War.  It  amounted  almost 
to  2,000,000,000  yen  on  the  Japanese  side  only. 
If  we  exclude  naval  and  army  expenses,  the  above 
sum  would  be  enough  to  meet  the  cost  of  our 
central  government  for  ten  years,  or  it  would  pay 
Japan’s  governmental  account,  naval  and  army 
expenses  and  all,  for  from  four  to  five  years.  War 
expends  such  a big  amount  of  money  all  at  once. 
Under  the  circumstances,  certain  sociahsts,  with 
the  idea  of  alleviating  the  grievances  of  the  poor 
and  promoting  the  benefit  of  the  general  public, 
have  begun  to  emphasize  the  necessity  of  cutting 
down  the  cost  of  mihtarism.  It  is,  how^ever,  well 
to  bear  in  mind  that  the  arguments  advanced  by 
such  socialists  represent  very  dangerous  thoughts 
in  some  cases.  Many  anti-militaristic  socialists 
in  France  and  Germany  are  opposing  conscription 
and  trying  to  evade  its  duties.  We  cannot  take 
their  side.  We  will  not  advocate  peace  sacrificing 
the  life  of  our  owm  nation.  But  to  effect  social 
reform,  we  must  find  out  sufficient  resources  some- 
where; and  for  this  reason,  the  sociahsts’  move- 
ment has  had  a beneficial  by-effect  upon  the  growth 
of  the  peace  problem. 

The  proposed  convention  for  the  reduction  of 
armaments,  which  is  under  consideration  among 
thoughtful  men  in  England,  France,  Germany, 


8o  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

etc.,  may  be  said  to  have  its  motive  chiefly  in  the 
socialistic  arguments. 

(Third)  There  are  some  peace-workers  of 
expediency.  These  have  neither  the  standpoint 
of  the  religionist  nor  that  of  the  socialist.  They 
only  find  it  expedient  to  support  other  peace- 
workers.  Still,  they  are  factors  in  the  progress  of 
our  movement. 

(Fourth)  Not  a few  men  study  the  peace  pro- 
blem from  a scientific  point  of  view.  I myself 
belong  to  this  class.  We  advocate  the  cause  of 
peace,  with  a view  to  making  a scientific  study  of 
various  methods  for  the  promotion  of  universal 
peace  and  to  applying  such  methods  to  practical 
politics. 

That  wars  have  been  getting  less  frequent  in 
modem  times  is  evident  from  a casual  considera- 
tion of  the  statistical  figures  which  I showed  at  the 
beginning  of  this  essay.  Again,  it  may  be  seen 
that  nowadays  both  statesmen  and  the  general 
public  are  striving  to  avoid  warfare  as  much  as 
possible.  We  Japanese  were  sometimes  called 
a “warlike  nation”  by  European  critics,  but 
Europeans  and  Americans  themselves  were  also 
warlike  in  by-gone  days,  and  there  was  a time 
when  they  deemed  it  an  honour  to  msh  into  the 
enemy’s  camp  and  cut  off  human  heads.  He  who 
reads  some  historical  romance  written  in  Europe 
in  the  feudal  age  will  perhaps  come  across  a vivid 
portrayal  of  a number  of  warlike  characters.  But 
the  times  of  blood-thirsty  warriors  are  fast  passing. 


L 


Various  Standpoints  of  Peace- Workers  8i 


We  have  begun  to  consider  things  in  a scientific 
way,  and  one  result  of  this  tendency  is  the  fact 
I that  wars  have  become  more  rare.  Moreover,  the 
condition  of  communications  in  the  world  has 
very  much  improved  in  recent  years.  Papers 
report  that  Hawaii  and  Japan  have  lately  been 
' brought  within  talking  distance;  and  that  New 
York  wall  converse  with  London  may  not  be  a very 
remote  possibility.  Then  there  are  airships  and 
aeroplanes.  Physical  barriers  between  nations  will 
' be  entirely  removed  in  the  near  future,  thus  making 
! their  social  relations  much  more  intimate  than  at 
■ present.  Already,  the  enjoyment  of  life  needs 
not  be  sought  after  within  one’s  native  country. 

J Thus,  our  Hakone  is  not  a pleasure-resort  for 

I Japanese  only,  but  it  is  a place  for  all  world- 

citizens  to  enjoy.  In  turn,  we  Japanese  may 
] easily  take  a trip  to  your  Yellowstone  Park  and 
Grand  Canon.  In  the  circumstances,  a conviction 
has  been  growing  upon  men  that  war  is  contrary 
to  the  law  of  nature,  with  the  result  that  they  are 
getting  less  warlike.  Now  they  have  begun  to 
think  they  must  appeal  to  reason  for  the  decision 
of  any  disputes,  and  consequently  they  are  con- 
fronted with  the  great  question  how  to  study 
scientifically  to  secure  the  permanent  peace  of  the 
' world.  European  countries,  as  well  as  America, 
I have  to-day  several  influential  societies  which  are 
! enthusiastic  in  advocating  the  cause  of  peace  and 
which  are  doing  excellent  work  toward^the  realiza- 
tion of  their  ideal.  Japan,  being  already  one  of 
6 


82  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


the  world-powers,  must  not  lie  idle,  but  must  take 
an  active  part  in  the  promotion  of  human  well- 
being, because  the  general  good  of  the  world- 
family  must  be  brought  about  by  the  co-operation 
of  all  its  members. 

The  Japan  Peace  Society  has  been  organized 
with  such  an  object  in  view.  One  of  the  most 
serious  matters  it  has  had  to  deal  with  was  the  re- 
cent American- Japanese  complication.  The  anti- 
Japanese  bill  passed  by  the  Californian  legislature 
threatened  to  lead  to  conditions  inimical  to  the 
traditional  friendship  between  the  two  nations. 

It  was  then  that  our  Japan  Peace  Society  ap- 
proached its  confreres  in  America  for  purposes  of 
securing  a mutual  imderstanding ; and  I have  not 
the  least  doubt  that  its  activities  were  very  instru- 
mental in  improving  the  international  relations 
of  America  and  Japan. 


OUTLINE  OF  JAPANESE  CIVILIZATION 


JUICHI  SOYEDA 


[Hon.  Juichi  Soyeda,  Hogaku  Hakushi  (Doctor  of  Laws), 
special  member  of  the  Tokyo  Chamber  of  Commerce;  born 
Fukuoka,  September,  1864;  graduated  from  School  of  Politics 
and  Economics,  Tokyo  Imperial  University,  in  1884,  and  con- 
tinued his  studies  at  Cambridge  and  Heidelberg,  returning 
home  in  1887:  the  same  year,  was  appointed  councillor  in  the 
Treasury  Department,  and  then  successively  private  secretary, 
secretary,  and  Director  of  Superintendance  Bureau,  in  the  same 
department;  became  its  Vice-Minister  in  1898;  shortly  after- 
wards he  resigned  his  post  and  became  lecturer  of  economics 
and  public  finance  at  Tokyo  Imperial  University  and  several 
other  institutions;  in  1899,  was  appointed  president  of  the  Bank 
of  Formosa;  then  chairman  of  Japan  Credit  Mobilier  Com- 
mission, and  in  1902,  was  made  president  of  the  newly-estab- 
lished Japan  Credit  Mobilier;  he  took  an  active  part  in  our 
monetary  reform  work;  in  1913,  he  came  to  the  United  States 
as  representative  of  the  Associated  Chambers  of  Commerce 
in  Japan,  in  connection  with  the  Californian  Land  Law 
question.] 


In  order  to  obtain  a correct  estimate  of  the 
civilization  of  any  nation  it  is  necessary  that  we 
have  a clear  idea  of  the  race  that  has  been  the 
recipient  and  at  the  same  time  the  transformer  of 
such  civilization.  It  is  a well-known  fact  that  the 
Japanese  are  a mixed  people,  drawn  largely  from 
the  Asiatic  Continent  as  well  as  from  the  Southern 

»3 


84  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


Islands.  The  original  stock,  however,  being  of 
Aryan  blood,  the  Japanese  have  many  traits  differ- 
ing from  those  of  the  true  Mongolian.  This 
peculiarly  composite  nature  of  the  Japanese  race 
leads  to  the  complexity  of  its  civilization;  more- 
over, the  successive  influx  of  Indian,  Chinese,  and 
Korean  civilizations  has  further  added  to  its  intri- 
cate nature.  But  all  these  various  influences  have 
been  melted  down  and  transformed  by  the  Japan- 
ese, whose  power  of  assimilating  foreign  civiliza- 
tions and  re-shaping  them  as  her  own  is  and  always 
has  been  remarkable. 

It  is  true  that  Japan  adopted  Oriental  civilization, 
but  she  transformed  it  into  a new  type  differing 
greatly  from  the  original.  Her  long-enjoyed  peace 
and  her  feudalism,  systematically  carried  out, 
completed  the  structure  of  Japanese  civilization 
with  all  its  peculiar  features  in  art  and  learning, 
and  above  all  in  so-called  “Bushido.”  Upon  the 
opening  of  the  country  to  the  world,  following  the 
visit  of  the  American  fleet  led  by  Commodore 
Perry,  Japan  was  again  ready  to  face,  and  to  adopt 
this  time.  Occidental  civilization.  So  much  so 
that  the  Education,  Army,  Navy,  and  Finances,  as 
well  as  constitutional,  local,  and  judicial  systems, 
were  all  reorganized  after  the  Western  pattern. 
The  folly  of  thinking  all  this  to  be  mere  apish 
imitation  was  more  than  proved  by  the  late  war 
in  Manchuria  and  to  no  small  extent  by  her 
political,  social,  and  economic  progress. 

Her  national  aim,  as  laid  down  by  the  late 


Outline  of  Japan’s  Civilization  85 


Emperor  Meiji,  was  to  pick  out  the  best  from  all 
systems.  It  needs  no  proof  that  there  are  bright 
as  well  as  dark  sides  to  Oriental  and  Occidental 
civilizations,  but  Japan’s  efforts  have  been  di- 
rected solely  toward  selecting  the  best  of  these 
civilizations,  and  in  this  she  has  been  successful. 
No  doubt  her  success  will  give  encoiiragement  to 
other  races  of  lower  civilization  for  their  future 
uphfting.  By  still  further  efforts  on  the  part  of 
Japan,  the  civilizations  of  the  West  and  the  East 
may  be  finally  fully  harmonized  and  the  awful 
calamity  that  may  be  brought  about  by  the  clash 
of  different  races  may  thereby  be  averted. 

Such  is,  indeed,  her  noble  mission  and  such  is  the 
aspiration  of  the  Japanese  nation — the  culmination 
of  a civilization  so  peculiar  to  Japan,  and  beneficial 
to  the  cause  of  peace  and  the  welfare  of  mankind. 


JAPAN  AND  THE  PRESERVATION  OF 
CHINA’S  INTEGRITY 

TOKUGORO  NAKAHASHI 


[Hon.  Tokugoro  Nakahashi,  president  of  Osaka  Shosen 
Kaisha  (Osaka  Mercantile  S.  S.  Co.)  and  several  other  com- 
panies; special  member  of  Osaka  Chamber  of  Commerce;  bom 
1864  in  Kanazawa;  was  graduated  from  Tokyo  Imperial 
University  in  1886;  he  was  successively  judge,  councillor 
Department  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce  and  councillor 
Bureau  of  Legislation;  in  1889,  he  visited  America,  England, 
France,  Germany,  Austria,  etc.,  on  the  commission  for  the 
investigation  of  parliamentary  systems;  in  1890,  was  appointed 
secretary  of  the  House  of  Representatives;  afterwards.  Director 
of  Railway  Bureau;  in  1898,  became  president  of  Osaka  Shosen 
Kaisha;  he  has  written  many  books  and  pamphlets  on  politics, 
economics,  and  railroading.]  . 


In  the  nineteenth  century,  the  United  States 
advocated  Pan-Americanism  with  the  view  to 
including  the  Central  and  the  South  American 
countries  within  her  own  sphere  of  influence.  The 
European  nations  then  were  busily  engaged  in  the 
partitioning  of  Africa.  So  Europe  and  America 
could  not  extend  their  influence  in  the  Orient. 

The  attention  of  the  world,  however,  was  sud- 
denly drawn  toward  the  Orient  when  Japan  won 
the  memorable  war  with  China.  The  most 

86 


Preservation  of  China’s  Integrity  87 


conspicuous  example  of  it  was  the  southward 
advance  of  Russia  in  Manchuria.  The  Europeans 
and  the  Americans  then  began  to  form  their 
policy  toward  China. 

But  the  people  that  have  by  far  the  most  vital 
interests  in  China  are  not  the  Europeans  but  the 
Japanese.  Japan  is  a close  neighbour  of  China, 
and  the  people  of  both  nations  use  identical 
characters  and  are  of  the  same  general  stock  of 
mankind.  So,  not  only  has  Japan  the  greatest 
interests  in  China,  but  it  is  Japan  and  the  Japanese 
who,  for  reasons  of  geography,  history,  and  other- 
wise, are  able  to  understand  China  best  of  all 
foreign  nations.  Certainly  it  was  the  Europeans 
who  in  these  recent  years  first  opened  up  the  com- 
mercial relations  with  China ; but  they  do  not  un- 
derstand China  even  to  this  year  of  1914.  Even 
Japan  had  not,  before  the  first  period  of  China’s 
revolution  of  1911,  had  any  definite  policy  of  her 
own  toward  China.  Only  a few  intelligent  men 
perceived  that  the  maintenance  of  the  integrity 
of,  and  the  open-door  policy  in,  China  would  be 
advantageous  to  our  country.  But  the  generality 
of  our  sinologists  had  thought  either  that  China  will 
become  a great  and  powerful  nation,  or  that  she 
will  be  partitioned  among  the  European  and  the 
American  powers,  and  should  the  latter  happen, 
Japan  should  share  in  the  division  of  territory. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  the  economic  development  of 
Japan  brought  about  an  enormous  increase  of 
trade  with  China,  and  the  number  of  the  Japanese 


88  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


who  went  to  different  parts  of  China  increased  to 
several  tens  of  thousands  or  more,  and  that  of 
the  Chinese  students  sent  to  Japan  to  ten  thousand. 
Then  when  China  had  passed  through  the  recent 
revolutions  the  majority  of  the  intelligent  Japan- 
ese began  to  imderstand  her  better.  They  set  to 
work  to  make  a careful  study  of  the  coimtry  and 
the  people,  and  to  learn  the  true  attitude  of  the 
European  and  the  American  nations  toward  her; 
and  it  was  brought  home  to  the  Japanese  generally 
that  Japan’s  best  interests  will  be  safeguarded  by 
maintaining  the  integrity  of,  and  by  observing  the 
open-door  policy  in,  China. 

Japan’s  trade  with  China  to-day  is  of  far  more 
vital  importance  than  that  of  other  nations  with 
that  country.  In  ten  or  more  years,  Japan’s 
China  trade  would  amount  to  several  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  yen,  if  the  integrity  of  China  is  main- 
tained and  the  means  of  communication  improved 
by  the  construction  of  railways  throughout  that 
country  and  by  the  increase  of  the  merchant 
marine  service  there.  The  principle  of  the  mainte- 
nance of  China’s  integrity  appUes  to  China  proper, 
the  barren  land  of  the  outlying  districts  being 
excluded.  The  area  of  China  proper  is  1,500,000 
square  miles.  It  is  a compact  mass  of  land,  un- 
like Japan,  which  is  long  and  narrow.  So  a railway 
net  laid  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
China  would  mean  that  any  two  points  in  opposite 
directions  may  be  reached  one  from  the  other 
within  forty-eight  hours.  As  for  the  ships  of 


Preservation  of  China’s  Integrity  89 


commerce,  in  1912  the  tonnage  of  the  incoming  and 
outgoing  vessels  was  shown  by  the  32,000,000 
tons  of  British  registry,  and  by  the  19,000,000  tons 
of  Japanese  ^egistr3^  As  the  Japanese  vessels  in 
China  are  increasing  with  much  greater  propor- 
tion than  the  British,  the  two  tonnages  will  soon 
be  approximated.  The  vessels  of  other  nations 
add  to  the  service  rendered  by  the  British  and 
Japanese  vessels. 

While  the  improvement  of  the  means  of  com- 
munication would  assist  commerce,  it  would  at 
the  same  time  assist  the  administration  of  gov- 
ernment affairs  by  helping  to  unify  society  and 
to  centralize  the  government  services.  The  uni- 
fication of  society  and  the  centralization  of  the 
government  services  would  serve  to  maintain  the 
integrity  of  the  country.  For  instance,  if  any 
military  action  were  required  in  different  parts  of 
the  country,  a small  force  would  be  sufficient  for 
the  purpose,  as  it  could  be  utilized  effectively  by 
being  quickly  transported  in  any  direction. 

The  troubles  that  China  is  facing  to-day  are, 
in  the  first  place,  the  lack  of  funds  for  administra- 
tive expenses,  and,  in  the  second  place,  the  lack  of 
capital  for  railway  construction.  The  foreign 
powers  are  situated  in  such  a position  that  it  is 
for  their  best  interest  to  furnish  capital  to  China. 
The  question  is  which  of  the  foreign  powers  should 
furnish  this  capital,  and  how  much?  If  Japan 
were  rich  enough  to  be  in  position  of  the  creditor 
power,  she  should  be  an  eminently  fit  candidate. 


90  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


as  she  is  otherwise  most  advantageously  situated 
as  regards  the  trade  relations,  in  point  of  the  num- 
ber of  nationals  in  China,  and  in  respect  of  geo- 
graphical proximity.  But  Japan  is  busy  with  the 
development  of  domestic  industries,  and  her  capital 
bears  high  rates  of  interest,  so  that  she  has  very 
little  capital  available  for  investment  in  China. 
The  United  States  is  a wealthy  country,  but  she 
too  is  busy  with  domestic  investments,  and  she 
stands  in  a similar  position  to  Japan  ag  regards 
foreign  investment  of  capital.  So  China  must  of 
necessity  depend  upon  France,  England,  Germany, 
and  Belgium  for  supply  of  capital.  I am  diamet- 
rically opposed  to  the  British  Foreign  Secretary, 
Sir  Edward  Grey,  when  he  says  that  “the  kindest 
thing  to  do  to  the  Chinese  Government  is  to 
refrain  from  lending  money  to  that  government.” 
Why?  Because  to  stop  the  Chinese  Government 
from  building  railways  and  to  cut  it  off  from  the 
supply  of  administrative  expenses  would  mean 
an  interruption  of  China’s  efforts  at  tmification 
of  the  country,  and  a downfall  of  that  country’s 
government. 

There  is  another  question.  China’s  debts  up  to 
date  amount  to  sixteen  hundred  millions  of  yen.  If 
this  amount  should  rise  by  two  or  three  thousand 
millions,  people  would  ask  whether  China  will  be 
able  to  fulfil  her  obligations  arising  therefrom. 
This  anxiety  is  rather  unfoimded,  because  it  runs 
counter  to  the  recognized  observation  that  China 
is  one  of  the  two  countries  most  blessed  by  nature. 


Preservation  of  China’s  Integrity  91 


the  other  being  America,  and  that  her  natural 
wealth  is  vmbounded.  If  a country  of  300,000,000 
in  population  and  of  1,500,000  square  miles  in 
area  is  so  poor  a country  that  it  could  not  repay 
debts  of  two  or  three  thousand  millions  of  yen,  why 
do  the  European  and  the  American  nations  take 
pains  to  solve  the  Chinese  problem? 

There  is  still  another  question  upon  which  the 
popular  notion  in  Japan  errs.  It  is  said  that  if 
the  European  nations  lend  a large  amount  of 
money  to  China,  for  which  they  obtain  various 
privileges,  it  will  be  very  dangerous  and  dis- 
advantageous to  Japan,  I am  opposed  to  this 
notion  also.  If  China  is  to  be  able  to  maintain  her 
territorial  integrity  and  to  preserve  the  national 
unity,  any  privilege  given  which  is  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Chinese  Government  will 
naturally  be  under  the  supervision  of  that  govern- 
ment. In  future,  when  China  shall  have  been 
developed  and  become  financially  independent, 
then  she  will  be  able  to  reassume  the  privileges. 
If,  as  some  people  fear,  there  should  be  a great 
disturbance  in  the  land  that  would  necessitate 
foreign  powers  taking  military  action,  the  number 
of  troops  to  be  sent  by  each  power  will  not  neces- 
sarily be  determined  by  the  amount  of  money 
invested  by  that  power,  but  by  what  that  power 
deems  proper  in  the  circumstance.  Japan  may 
lend  the  largest  number  of  troops,  according  to  the 
exigency  of  the  moment.  As  for  the  points  at 
which  the  troops  should  be  landed,  Japan  may 


92  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


choose  almost  anywhere  in  China,  since  the 
Japanese  are  in  nearly  every  open  port  with  their 
business  establishments,  warehouses,  and  ships. 
Our  countrymen  are  in  the  great  majority,  al- 
together out  of  proportion  to  other  nationalities. 
They  must  need  the  protection  of  Japanese  troops, 
landed  in  cases  of  necessity.  Even  in  the  so- 
called  British  sphere  of  influence  along  the 
Yangtze,  the  Japanese  are  everywhere,  from  Cheng- 
tu  and  Chunking,  down  to  Yichang,  Changte, 
Shashi,  Changtang,  Changsha,  and  Hankow,  and 
the  farther  one  goes  down  the  river  the  more 
Japanese  he  will  And.  As  for  the  north  China 
districts, , there  is  no  need  of  mentioning  Japanese 
superiority.  This  is  Japan’s  strength,  and  she 
may  cope  with  the  British,  the  German,  or  other 
powers,  without  fear  of  discomfiture. 

Recently  the  Chinese  Government  sent  an  inter- 
pellation to  each  of  the  treaty  powers  on  the  ques- 
tion of  advancing  the  rate  of  tariff,  with  the  view 
to  securing  a new  source  of  revenue  to  be  used  as 
security  for  loans  to  be  raised.  Some  people  in 
Japan  maintain  that  our  government  should 
object  to  the  raising  of  the  tariff.  I am  again 
opposed  to  this  suggestion.  Grant  that  the 
Chinese  Government  wish  to  raise  the  rate  of 
tariff  on  cotton  yam  by  four  yen  per  picul,  valued 
at  one  htmdred  yen.  The  fluctuation  in  price 
from  four  to  five  yen  for  cotton  yam  valued  at  one 
hundred  yen  either  upward  or  downward  is  no 
new  thing  in  commercial  transactions.  If  the  Chi- 


Preservation  of  China’s  Integrity  93 


nese  Government  could  increase  its  revenue  from 
customs  by  twenty  million  yen,  it  would  mean 
that  the  government  has  acquired  a fresh  security 
for  loans  to  the  amount  of  from  three  hundred 
and  fifty  to  four  hundred  million  yen.  The 
Chinese  Government  then  may  use  this  four 
hundred  million  of  loans  for  replenishing  the  fund 
for  administrative  expenses,  or  for  building  rail- 
ways of  several  hundred  or  a thousand  miles.  A 
larger  part  of  this  capital  borrowed  would  be 
distributed  among  the  people,  which,  in  turn, 
would  help  to  promote  the  trade.  Which  foreign 
power  would  gain  most  by  this  trade  development? 
It  would  be  Japan,  to  be  sure.  So  a small  percent- 
age of  customs  advance  paid  would  secure  a trade 
increase  of  tens  of  millions  of  yen.  Unless  Japan 
be  made  to  suffer  severe  losses,  she  should  extend 
a helping  hand  toward  the  Chinese  Government 
in  adopting  measures  which  are  necessary  for 
national  unification,  thereby  maintaining  and  pro- 
moting friendly  relations  with  the  Chinese  people. 
We  should  not  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  those 
European  or  American  people  who  come  from 
hundreds  of  miles  away  and  have  very  little  interest 
in  China  save  for  their  own  immediate  gains. 
Such  a short-sighted  policy  if  followed,  I assert, 
would  put  our  country  in  an  awkward  position. 

As  to  what  should  be  done  if,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  the  Chinese  are  lacking  in  the  art  of 
statesmanship,  the  Chinese  could  not  pay  the 
ever  accumulating  national  debts,  Japan  should 


94  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


be  prepared  to  solve  the  problem.  In  my  opinion, 
in  that  event  the  best  thing  to  do  would  be  that 
China,  with  her  1,500,000  square  miles  of  territory 
and  300,000,000  of  population,  be  turned  over 
to  the  joint  management  of  the  powers.  This 
scheme  of  joint  management  would  require  mili- 
tary forces  to  guarantee  its  execution.  So  Japan 
must  keep  up  her  army  and  navy  to  full  efficiency, 
as  much  as  her  finances  permit,  until  China  is 
united,  or  the  joint  management  by  the  powers 
is  effected.  That  is  not  only  necessary  in  order 
to  place  Japan  in  a position  of  safety,  but  it  is 
Japan’s  duty  toward  her  neighbour,  China,  and- 
her  mission  in  the  Orient. 


JAPAN’S  COLONIAL  POLICY 


YOSABURO  TAKEKOSHI 


[Hon.  Yosaburo  Takekoshi,  M.P.,  author  and  journalist; 
bom  Nov.,  1865,  at  Honjo,  Saitama-ken;  studied  at  Keio  and 
also  under  certain  missionaries;  began  his  journalistic  career 
about  1888  as  a writer  for  a local  paper;  in  1895,  became  a 
writer  on  the  staff  of  the  Jiji\  in  1896,  he  started  his  own  paper 
in  Tokyo,  which,  however,  was  given  up  after  a few  years’  life; 
in  1898,  was  appointed  private  secretary  to  Marquis  Saionji,  the 
then  Minister  of  Education;  visited  Europe  in  1899  and  1906 
to  study  conditions  on  that  continent.  He  is  the  author  of 
Twenty-five  Centuries  of  Japanese  History,  Modern  History 
of  Japan,  Chinese  Empire,  and  several  other  books  (all  in 
Japanese).] 

Only  twenty  years  have  passed  since  the 
Japanese  first  ventured  forth  as  a colonial  power. 
As  a result  of  the  China-Japan  War,  Meiji  27 
(1894),  Formosa  Island  became  ours.  Following 
it,  Korea  became  our  protectorate  and  then  was 
annexed  to  the  empire  later.  We  established  our 
indisputable  claim  of  protectorate  over  Korea  as  a 
result  of  the  same  war. 

Up  to  that  time,  Japan,  though  a strong  power, 
strangely  lacked  the  opportunity  to  exercise  her 
energy  in  efforts  at  colonization.  The  history  of 
Japan  for  2500  years  was  the  history  of  the  Im- 

95 


96  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


perial  family  who  established  their  capital  in  the 
centre  of  Japan’s  mainland,  and  who  extended  their 
influence  in  four  directions,  exclusively  aiming 
at  national  tmification.  Therefore,  the  govern- 
mental system  of  Japan  and  the  maxims  for  the 
guidance  of  the  rulers  were  all  framed  with  the 
principal  object  of  administering  the  affairs  of  a 
land  of  one  civiHzation  and  one  race.  There  was 
no  such  thing  as  a colonial  policy  to  govern  the 
people  of  different  civilizations,  different  races, 
and  different  languages.  Thus  Japan  began  to 
form  a colonial  policy  only  from  Meiji  27  (1894), 
that  is,  twenty  years  ago.  So  Japan’s  colonial 
policy  must  of  necessity  still  be  in  its  infancy. 
But  we  have  back  of  us  a history  of  colonial  policy 
which  om  neighbour,  China,  has  perfected  in  4000 
years  for  the  government  of  races  of  different 
stocks,  different  civilizations,  and  different  tongues. 
In  addition  to  it,  we  have  learned  from  the  co- 
lonial experiences  of  the  European  nations  in 
recent  years,  which,  combined  with  the  lessons 
we  have  learned  from  China,  have  given  us  a 
substantial  knowledge  of  colonial  administrative 
arts. 

Japan  has  advanced  from  seed  oil  to  kerosene 
oil  for  light,  and  from  kerosene  oil  to  electricity, 
within  a very  short  space  of  time.  Again,  we 
used  to  walk  on  foot,  wearing  sandals,  now  we 
have  at  once  stepped  into  the  automobile.  Thus 
we  have  acquired,  free  of  cost,  the  experiences  of 
other  nations  who  paid  dearly  for  them.  What 


Japan’s  Colonial  Policy 


97 


should  we  expect  for  acquiring  these  experiences 
without  paying?  The  biological  laws  prevail  in 
politics  as  well  as  in  the  human  body.  No  matter 
how  hard  an  organic  being  may  try,  it  cannot  go 
beyond  the  bounds  of  biological  laws.  Yet  the 
short-sighted  poHticians  imagine  that  the  mere 
possession  of  a colonial  land  should  enable  a 
nation  to  transplant  bodily  and  with  success  the 
civilization  of  the  motherland,  or  that  by  importing 
the  learnings  of  the  motherland  the  character  of 
the  natives  of  the  colony  can  be  transformed. 
They  make  various  attempts  at  governing  a 
colony  under  this  false  notion.  We  of  the  latter- 
day  school  of  the  science  of  government  firmly 
believe  that  the  government  of  a colony  cannot 
go  beyond  biological  laws;  that  is,  in  governing 
Formosa,  for  instance,  we  must  govern  the  For- 
mosans not  as  we  do  the  Japanese,  but  as  we 
should  the  Formosans.  We  should  not  neces- 
sarily forbid  the  tying  of  the  feet,  nor  should  we 
compel  the  men  of  Formosa  to  cut  off  their  queues. 
We  need  not  take  pains  to  exact  homage  from  the 
natives,  but  should  allow  them  to  live  and  have 
their  being  to  suit  themselves.  What  we  need 
is  to  hold  the  island  responsible  to  us  in  larger 
issues.  In  making  laws  we  are  taking  the  native 
customs  and  habits  as  the  basis;  for  instance,  the 
laws  governing  the  relations  of  the  Sugar  Company 
and  the  sugar  planters  have  been  framed  like  those 
obtaining  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands  or  like  those  in 
the  South  Sea  Islands. 


7 


98  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


This  principle  of  colonial  administration  is  being 
observed  in  Korea  also.  Korea,  to  be  sure,  exists 
now  for  Japan,  from  the  viewpoint  of  Imperial 
policy.  But  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of 
state  in  Korea  is  done  with  the  Korean  welfare 
itself  as  its  object  in  view.  To  be  sure,  there  are 
a large  number  of  the  Japanese  immigrants  who 
are  constituting  a powerful  factor  among  the 
population  in  Korea,  and  in  some  respects  the 
customs,  habits,  and  laws  of  Japan  proper 
have  been  bodily  transplanted  there.  But  in 
the  main  the  policy  of  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment toward  Korea  has  ever  been  to  govern 
that  country  in  a way  to  suit  the  Koreans 
themselves. 

Now,  Japan  has  her  fixed  policy  of  administra- 
tion of  colonies.  She  has  many  would-be  colo- 
nists, but  so  far  has  had  no  colonies  to  which  they 
could  be  sent.  Germany  has  many  colonists 
but  has  few  colonies.  France  has  colonies  but 
has  few  colonists.  England  has  both  colonies 
and  colonists.  Such  is  the  opinion  of  the  w'Orld. 
Japan  formerly  had  colonists,  but  had  no  colonies. 
Now  Korea  has  room  for  10,000,000  immigrants, 
and  Formosa  for  2,000,000.  So  we  have  to-day 
both  colonies  and  colonists,  like  England.  We 
do  not  need  any  more  colonies  than  we  already 
have.  Any  one  who  attempts  to  acquire  more 
would  act  contrary  to  the  sound  Imperial  policy, 
and  for  his  own  private  adventure.  Japan’s 
Imperial  policy  to-day  calls  for  the  development 


Japan’s  Colonial  Policy 


99 


of  Korea  and  of  Manchuria,  as  well  as  of 
Formosa,  and  Japan’s  colonial  policy  should  not 
be  otherwise  than  to  fulfil  her  responsibility 
toward  these  lands. 


“CENTRIPETAL  MIKADOISM” 


I-ICHIRO  TOKUTOMI 


[Hon.  I-ichiro  Tokutomi,  proprietor  and  chief  editor  of  the 
Kokumin  Shimbun  (a  daily  paper),  member  of  House  of  Peers; 
bom  Feb.,  1863,  at  Kumamoto ; studied  at  the  Doshisha,  Kyoto, 
1876-80;  in  1898,  he  was  appointed  councillor  to  the  Home 
Department;  in  1911,  was  made  a member  of  the  House  of 
Peers;  he  is  the  author  of  Shorai  no  Nippon  Qapan  in  the 
Future),  Life  of  Yoshida  Shoin,  Shin  Nippon  no  Seinen  (The 
Younger  Generation  of  New  Japan),  and  many  other  books; 
was  editor  of  the  Kokumin-no-Tomo  (Nation’s  Friend),  the 
Far  East  (English),  the  Katei  Zasshi  (Household  Journal), 
etc.  The  Kokumin  Shimbun,  of  which  he  is  now  proprietor 
and  chief  editor,  was  founded  by  him  some  twenty  years  ago.] 

Our  imperialism  is  an  imperialism  that  is  based 
upon  the  Japanese  race;  our  democratism  is  a 
democratism  that  comprises  the  whole  Japanese 
nation.  With  sociaHsm,  an  offshoot  of  demo- 
cratism, this  also  holds  good.  Otir  socialism  does 
not  aim  at  benefiting  the  poor  at  the  expense  of  the 
rich,  but  strives  to  take  all  classes,  rich  and  poor, 
under  its  wings.  In  its  expression,  therefore,  it 
may  be  a poor-relief  system  or  a system  for  the 
protection  of  millionaires. 

But  our  imperialism,  our  democratism,  our 
socialism — all  these  centre  upon  a single  principle, 

100 


“ Centripetal  Mikadoism  ” 


lOI 


and  it  is  “centripetal  Mikadoism,”  as  we  express 
it  and  advocate  it.  Rome  was,  at  one  time,  the 
centre  of  the  Roman  Empire;  hence  the  adage, 
“All  roads  lead  to  Rome.”  In  a like  manner,  the 
Mikado  is  the  centre  of  our  nation.  Considered 
as  a body  politic,  it  has  him  as  its  sovereign;  con- 
sidered as  a distinct  race,  it  has  him  as  its  leader; 
considered  as  a social  community,  it  has  him  as  its 
nucleus.  Who  can,  then,  contradict  me  when  I 
say  that  all  our  “isms” — social,  racial,  and  politi- 
cal— are  included,  involved,  implicated,  by  this 
“centripetal  Mikadoism  ” ? 

More  by  token,  the  true  unity  of  our  Empire 
is  the  co-operative  movement  of  the  whole  nation 
with  the  Mikado  as  its  pivot.  Men  are  no  more 
of  one  mind  than  they  are  of  one  face;  and  every 
individual  Japanese  may  have  his  or  her  way  in 
this  country.  Nay,  no  single  age  has  passed  in  our 
history  without  having  its  share  of  men  advocat- 
ing some  bold  doctrines  or  following  unscrupulous 
practices.  Especially,  in  our  own  times,  our 
community  has  become  a reservoir  into  which  all 
kinds  of  modem  thoughts — novel,  dangerous,  or 
dest motive — have  been  collected  and  are  ferment- 
ing. Still,  in  a wholesome  condition,  quite  un- 
changed and  unweakened,  exists  our  fundamental 
national  idea.  Why  is  this  so?  Simply  because 
the  whole  nation  almost  instinctively  concurs  in 
“centripetal  Mikadoism.” 

Nothing  would  be  farther  from  the  tmth  than  to 
attribute  the  brilliant  success  of  the  Restoration 


102  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


solely  to  the  awakening  of  our  nation  caused  by  the 
pressure  of  the  foreign  powers.  The  impetus 
from  the  outside,  it  is  true,  did  a great  deal  to 
expedite  the  wonderful  change  of  regime;  but  the 
chief  factor  in  breaking  down,  as  we  did,  the 
feudal  sectionalism  of  old  Japan,  and  bringing 
about  the  national  unification,  with  an  unprece- 
dented facility,  must  be  found  in  the  “centripetal 
Mikadoism”  of  our  people.  Had  the  then  Japan- 
ese nation  lacked  the  Mikado  as  its  centre,  the 
outcome  of  our  political  change  of  1868  might 
have  been  almost  the  same  as  that  of  the  recent 
revolution  in  China. 

Whereas,  so  far  as  her  land  system  is  concerned, 
Great  Britain  has  not  yet  worked  off  the  remains 
of  her  old  feudalism,  our  territorial  barons,  about 
three  hundred  in  number,  returned  in  a day  all  their 
feudal  holdings  to  their  emperor.  And  the  expla- 
nation for  this  action  of  theirs  is  to  be  found  in 
their  traditional  conviction  that  “no  place  under  all 
the  heavens,  no  subject  along  all  the  shores,  but  is 
ruled  by  our  august  sovereign.”  To  the  Mikado, 
and  to  no  other,  did  they  return  their  fiefs;  and  the 
great  socio-economic  revolution,  unparalleled  in 
the  world’s  history,  was  accomplished  at  one 
effort.  I attribute  this  to  the  automatic  process 
of  “centripetal  Mikadoism.” 

Nor  is  this  principle  adapted  for  our  nation 
alone ; some  of  the  European  powers  are  also 
endeavouring  to  put  it  in  practice,  but  they  have 
always  failed  to  secure  sufficient  success.  Are 


“Centripetal  Mikadoism” 


103 


their  monarchs  not  sagacious  enough?  Yes. 
Generally  speaking,  their  kings  or  emperors, 
though  they  may  have  their  strong  and  weak  points 
as  rulers,  are  every  one  of  them  wise  and  en- 
lightened. They  are  quite  a match  for  their 
chancellors  or  ministers.  Why,  then,  have  those 
nations  failed  to  be  unified  with  their  monarchs 
as  centres?  The  answer  must  be  given  from  an 
historical,  rather  than  a poHtical,  standpoint. 
They  look  upon  their  kings  or  emperors  as 
sovereign  apparently  as  we  do;  but — to  speak 
figuratively — theirs  are  the  hat,  while  ours  is  the 
head.  The  hat  may  be  changed  as  often  as  you 
please;  the  head  once  gone,  the  body  itself  would 
die.  In  this  respect  does  our  national  constitu- 
tion essentially  differ  from  theirs;  so  does  our 
loyalty  to  the  Mikado  differ  from  theirs  to  their 
own  rulers. 


JAPANESE  LABOURERS 


KOJIRO  MATSUKATA 

[Hon.  Kojiro  Matsukata,  president  of  the  Kawasaki  Ship- 
building Yard,  Ltd.,  and  ex-president  of  the  Kobe  Chamber 
of  Commerce;  proprietor  of  the  Kobe  Shimbun  (a  daily),  and 
auditor  of  several  important  companies;  bom  Dec.,  1865; 
D.C.L.  (Yale);  he  was  elected  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  1912.] 


In  the  organization  of  labour  as  well  as  in  the 
legal  guarantee  for  the  labour  interest,  Japan  is 
still  far  behind  Europe  and  especially  America. 
In  these  respects,  we  have  very  Httle  to  tell  you. 
There  are,  however,  some  peculiar  features  in  our 
labour  Hfe  that  may  be  of  interest  to  American 
readers. 

To  begin  with,  there  is  in  Japan  a social  relation- 
ship between  employer  and  employee  that  does 
not  prevail  in  your  country.  It  is  the  relationship 
of  lord  and  retainer.  For  many  centuries,  Japan 
was  under  a feudal  system  where  the  giver  of 
“roku”  (or  annual  pensions)  was  the  lord,  while 
the  recipient  of  them  was  the  retainer.  Such 
feudalistic  relations  between  payer  and  payee  have 
not  yet  altogether  died  away  in  this  country, 
though  they  are  gradually  diminishing  with  the 

104 


Japanese  Labourers 


105 


capitalization  of  labour.  Even  to-day,  he  who 
pays  wages  is  allowed  to  assume  something  of  the 
mental  attitude  of  the  lord — not  in  a despotic 
but  in  a protectoral  sense — toward  those  who 
receive  them.  A young  man  who  was  earning  his 
school  expenses  by  work  in  America  came  into 
possession  of  a lengthy  letter  from  his  mother  left 
behind  in  Japan,  repeatedly  advising  him  to  be 
loyal  to  the  person  of  his  master;  and  he  looked 
round  to  find  to  his  renewed  surprise  that  nobody 
would  claim  in  the  RepubHc  such  personal  loyalty 
as  his  good  old  mother  must  have  meant.  But 
in  Japan  there  exist  many  subjects  for  this  quasi- 
feudalistic  virtue. 

The  relationship  between  employer  and  employee 
in  Japan  may  be  good  or  bad  in  its  consequences. 
It  depends  upon  the  calibre  and  character  of  the 
master — of  the  president,  if  a company — whether 
or  not  this  institution  is  turned  to  account.  How- 
ever loyal  the  Japanese  labourers  may  be  to  their 
wage-payer,  they  would  never  look  upon  him  as  a 
“master”  unless  he  possessed  sxifficient  weight  and 
sympathy  to  inspire  his  men  with  reverence.  If, 
however,  the  employer  has  such  qualifications, 
the  relations  between  himself  and  his  workmen 
will  be,  in  Japan,  more  domestic,  more  intimate, 
and  more  personal  than  in  Europe  or  America. 

The  standard  of  hving  is  very  low  here.  While 
labour  is  cheap,  the  prices  of  commodities  are  also 
cheap.  Consequently,  the  Japanese  workmen  are, 
generally  speaking,  much  happier  than  their 


io6  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


American  colleagues,  so  far  as  material  comfort  is 
concerned.  In  America,  they  have  bread  with 
cheese  for  the  midday  meal, — rarely  furnishing 
them  with  potatoes  or  some  other  substantial  food. 
As  a rule,  they  live  in  a tenement  house  where  it  is 
often  impossible  to  enjoy  fresh  air  and  warm  sun- 
light. But,  in  Japan,  labourers  whose  wages  are 
30  sen  (that  is  15  cents)  a day,  can  even  afford 
fish  or  meat  at  tiffin,  and  they  live  in  cottages 
not  so  bad  from  the  hygienic  point  of  view. 

The  more  progressive  Japanese  employers  real- 
ize that  their  own  interests  are  in  accordance 
with  the  interests  of  their  workmen,  to  whom  they 
give  every  encouragement  that  is  in  their  power. 
In  the  Kawasaki  Shipbuilding  Yard,  of  which 
I am  now  president,  the  best  work-hands  are  from 
time  to  time  sent  to  Europe  or  America  in  order 
to  study  their  trade,  and  those  returned  from 
abroad  are  given  comparatively  important  posts 
in  our  works.  According  to  the  regulations  of  our 
company,  an  employee  who  resigns  after  serving 
for  ten  years  is  entitled  to  a grant  of  1000  yen, 
but  the  president  is  authorized  to  give  more  at  his 
discretion.  The  elasticity  of  his  competence  is  a 
strong  point  in  the  management  of  the  Kawasaki 
Shipbuilding  Yard. 

As  a whole,  the  Japanese  workmen  are  ambitious 
and  they  appreciate  the  value  of  learning.  Out 
of  11,500  hands  in  the  employ  of  the  yard,  more 
than  1000  attend  a night  school  which  receives 
a regular  subvention  from  the  company.  To  our 


Japanese  Labourers 


107 


thinking,  to  establish  and  attach  a labourers’ 
school  to  the  company  is  not  advisable,  for  in 
that  case  attendance  would  become  rather  com- 
pulsory, much  to  the  injury  of  their  self -initiative. 

Fortvmately,  labour  disputes  are  very  rare  in 
this  country.  Strikes  are  few  and  far  between, 
while  there  have  been  practically  no  lock-outs. 
I myself  have  ever  been  striving  to  inculcate  upon 
the  workmen  in  our  company  that  I as  president 
am  bound  to  consider  the  interests  not  only  of  the 
capital  but  also  of  the  labour;  that  the  harmony 
between  the  two  elements  is  essential  to  the 
successful  management  of  the  whole  concern;  and 
that  I expect  all  the  workmen,  from  the  foreman 
down  to  a shop-boy,  to  co-operate  with  me  in  the 
promotion  of  the  company’s  interests.  My  men, 
it  seems  to  me,  have  come  to  be  impressed  with 
these  ideas,  which  chiefly  accounts  for  the  fact 
that  no  strikes  have  ever  occurred  among  them. 
Only  once,  however,  there  was  an  attempt  at 
striking.  I heard  that  a bad  man  was  instigating 
his  fellows.  One  morning,  on  going  around  to 
inspect  the  works,  I found  him  idle.  I demanded, 
“You  don’t  want  to  work?”  “No,  sir,”  came 
the  sullen  answer.  “Then,”  said  I,  going  nearer 
to  him  and  addressing  him  in  a mild  tone,  “Then, 
I hope  you  will  get  away.  Our  company  does  n’t 
want  men  who  don’t  work.  You  can  perhaps 
find  some  work  congenial  to  you  elsewhere.”  To 
this  he  replied  that  he  would  leave  us  after  getting 
his  things  together.  I lent  him  a hand  in  putting 


io8  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


his  kit  in  a box  and  sent  him  away.  Thus  a 
strike  was  nipped  in  the  bud.  Well,  my  American 
readers  may  think  that  the  comparative  scarcity 
of  strikes  in  Japan  is  due  to  lack  of  self-assertion 
on  the  part  of  the  labourers,  but  that  is  not  quite 
right.  The  chief  explanation  must  be  found  in 
their  active  loyalty  to  their  employer’s  person, 
rather  than  in  their  passive  forbearance. 


SOCIALISM  IN  JAPAN 

iso-o  ab6 


[Mr.  Iso-o  Ab4,  professor  at  Waseda  University;  bom  Fuku- 
oka Prefecture  Feb.  4,  1865:  studied  theology  at  Doshisha 
College  and  was  graduated  from  Hartford  Seminary;  finished 
his  studies  in  England  and  Germany;  after  his  return  home, 
he  was  successively  principal  of  the  Doshisha  Middle  School, 
lecturer  at  various  schools  in  Tokyo,  and  has  finally  become  a 
professor  at  Waseda;  he  has  now  charge  of  the  Athletic  Club 
of  that  Institution;  he  came  to  the  United  States  again  as 
manager  of  the  Waseda  baseball  team.  Author,  Social  Pro- 
blems and  How  to  Solve  Them,  The  Ideal  Man,  etc.  (all  in 
Japanese).] 

From  ancient  times  to  the  period  of  the  Restora- 
tion of  Meiji,  Japan  was  governed  on  the  principle 
enunciated  by  Emperor  Nintoku,  sixteenth  in 
succession  to  Emperor  Jimmu,  founder  of  the 
Japanese  Empire,  in  the  sentence,  “The  well- 
being of  the  people  is  the  well-being  of  ourselves.” 
Thus  the  object  of  government  was  to  secure  the 
w'elfare  of  the  people.  In  the  time  of  Emperor 
Suiko,  thirty-third  in  succession,  the  principle  of 
land  nationalization  was  followed.  Land  was 
divided  according  to  the  number  of  persons  and 
houses,  and  the  land  thus  divided  was  called  “rice 
fields  apportioned  according  to  the  number  of 


no  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


mouths.”  This  system,  whereby  the  people’s 
safety  was  guaranteed,  resembled  closely  the 
ancient  Jewish  system  of  land  distribution.  But 
the  imperial  courtiers  and  the  nobles  to  whom  land 
was  entrusted  monopolized  it  and  the  people  were 
not  permitted  to  use  it  for  their  own  purposes. 
To  add  to  this  trouble,  as  a result  of  the  spread  of 
Buddhism  in  the  covmtry,  the  Imperial  Coiu*t 
indulged  in  the  erection  of  temples,  for  which  a 
considerable  reservation  of  land  was  made.  This 
led  to  the  final  break-up  of  the  system  of  land 
nationalization.  Soon  the  farmers  lost  work  and 
the  people  were  so  exhausted  that  there  was  not 
much  life  left  in  them. 

The  feudal  system,  which  was  brought  into 
existence,  continued  into  the  period  of  the  Toku- 
gawa  Shoguns.  In  the  ninth  year  of  Tempo 
(1838),  a system  of  land  tenure  was  established 
whereby  the  feudal  lords  were  not  allowed  to  ap- 
propriate land  for  themselves,  and  the  farmers  who 
had  held  land  on  tenure  were  practically  made  the 
owners.  After  the  restoration  of  Meiji,  title-deeds 
for  land  were  issued  to  the  holders  of  it.  Thereby 
the  system  of  private  ownership  of  land  was 
firmly  established  and  the  land  nationalization 
system,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  tenets 
of  socialism,  and  which  had  been  in  existence  in 
Japan,  was  abolished  altogether. 

It  was  in  Meiji  12  or  13  (1879  or  1880)  that 
labour  problems,  as  the  forerunner  of  socialism, 
became  a political  issue  in  Japan.  In  those  years 


Socialism  in  Japan 


III 


Kentaro  0-oi,  a leader  of  the  Liberal  Party,  started 
a daily  organ,  called  the  Azuma  Shimbun,  in  which 
he  championed  the  cause  of  the  poor  and  labouring 
classes.  Soon  the  capitalists  began  to  pay  atten- 
tion to  this  problem.  In  Meiji  23  (1890),  Tsune- 
taro  Jo,  Fusataro  Takano,  and  others  who  were 
in  San  Francisco,  U.  S.  A.,  organized  a society  for 
the  formation  of  labour-unions.  Then  there  was 
“the  Labour  Magazine  edited  by  Sen  Katayama. 
But  the  government  exercised  strict  control  over 
the  public  meetings,  and  the  labour  movement 
could  not  be  perfected. 

So  far,  I have  dwelt  upon  the  movement  in 
connection  with  the  iron-workers’  union.  In 
Meiji  31  (1898),  the  engineers  of  the  Nihon  Rail- 
way Company  attempted  a strike.  The  objects  of 
the  union  of  engineers  were  attained,  but  the 
company  managed  to  have  the  union  disbanded 
by  the  police.  Urged  on  by  these  various  move- 
ments, the  government  drafted  the  factory  regula- 
tions in  Meiji  31  (1898).  These  regulations, 
however,  had  not  been  introduced  in  the  Diet  till 
1911,  when  they  were  passed,  though  they  have 
not  yet  come  into  force. 

From  that  period  the  study  of  social  problems 
became  popular.  In  the  autumn  of  Meiji  31 
(1898),  the  society  for  the  study  of  socialism  was 
organized.  Chishi  Murai  was  the  president  and 
Zennosuke  Toy  oka  wa  the  secretary.  Among  the 

members  were  Kiyoshi  Kawakami,  Sen  Kata- 
yama, Denjiro  Kotoku,  and  others. 


1 12  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


The  man  who  first  started  the  socialistic  move- 
ment as  such  was  Tokichi  Tarui.  The  year  in 
which  it  was  initiated  was  Meiji  15  (1882).  But 
the  movement  somehow  failed  to  make  headway. 
The  society  started  by  Chishi  Murai  for  the  study 
of  socialism  did  not  take  any  political  colour.  In 
the  spring  of  Meiji  34  (1901),  the  spirited  members 
of  the  society  (which  afterward  changed  its  name 
into  the  Society  for  Socialists),  left  it  to  join  the 
members  of  the  alliance  for  the  formation  of 
labour-unions  in  organizing  the  Social  Democratic 
Party.  The  leaders  of  the  party  were  the  follow- 
ing six  men;  Sen  Katayama,  Denjiro  Kotoku, 
Naoe  Kinoshita,  Kiyoshi  Kawakami,  Kojiro 
Nishikawa,  Iso-o  Abe. 

In  May  20,  Meiji  34  (1901),  the  party  was 
formally  organized,  and  its  declaration  was  made 
public.  It  was  during  the  Ito  ministry,  of  which 
Kencho  Suyematsu  was  the  Minister  of  Interior. 
The  Minister  ordered  the  new  party  dissolved, 
and  its  declaration  was  withheld  from  publication. 
During  the  Katsma  ministry,  which  succeeded 
the  Ito  ministry,  the  Socialists  again  filed  an 
application  for  permission  to  organize,  this  time 
under  the  name  of  the  Japan  Commoners’  Party. 
The  application  was  again  rejected.  Thus  the 
government  was  ever  vigilant  as  to  the  socialistic 
movement.  So  the  comrades  gave  up  hope  of 
pohtical  agitations,  and  turned  their  attention  to 
an  educational  campaign.  In  the  winter  of  Meiji 
35  (1902),  Kotoku  and  Sakai  published  the  Com- 


Socialism  in  Japan 


113 

moners'  Journal,  in  which  they  made  a strong  anti- 
war appeal.  Katayama  went  to  Amsterdam  in 
August,  Meiji  37  (1904),  to  attend  the  international 
conference  of  socialist  parties,  which  was  held 
there.  Plekanoff  of  Russia  and  Katayama  of 
Japan  were  chosen  vice-presidents.  The  confer- 
ence passed  a resolution  opposed  to  the  Russo- 
Japanese  War,  which  was  about  to  break  out. 

From  this  time  the  government  began  to  take 
drastic  measures  in  dealing  with  the  sociaHsts. 
The  Commoners'  Journal  was  sued  in  court  several 
times,  and  was  suspended  from  sale  many  times. 
It  was  at  this  stage  that  the  people  of  our  country 
clearly  recognized  the  existence  of  such  a thing  as 
socialism.  In  the  meantime,  the  socialists  were 
engaged  in  evangelistic  movements  throughout 
the  country.  They  held  public  meetings  for  the 
dissemination  of  socialism.  The  government 
again  ordered  the  society  of  the  socialists  dis- 
banded. Besides,  it  punished  Kojiro  Nishikawa 
and  Denjiro  Kotoku  and  confiscated  the  property 
of  their  newspaper  plant.  So  the  Commoners' 
Journal  was  discontinued  after  November,  Meiji 
38  (1905).  After  Nishikawa  and  Kotoku  were 
imprisoned,  the  Commoners’  Society  dwindled 
and  finally  dissolved.  Later  there  were  published 
the  New  Era,  a magazine  edited  by  Sanshiro 
Ishikawa,  Iso-o  Abe,  Naoe  Kinoshita,  and  others, 
and  the  Light  edited  by  Kojiro  Nishikawa.  When 
the  Saionji  ministry  came  into  power,  the  attitude 
of  the  government  toward  these  socialists  became 
8 


1 14  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


a little  milder,  and  consequently  the  educational 
movements  changed  into  political  campaign.  In 
February,  Meiji  39  (1906),  the  members  of  the 
former  Commoners’  Society  and  Katayama,  Sakai, 
Nishikawa,  and  others  organized  the  Japan 
Socialist  Party.  At  the  same  time  Yakichi 
Yamaji,  Teikichi  Shiba,  and  others  organized 
the  State  Socialist  party.  But  state  socialism 
soon  dropped  out  of  existence. 

Soon  the  Saionji  ministry  fell  and  the  Katsura 
ministry  again  came  into  power.  The  pressure 
brought  to  bear  by  the  government  upon  the 
socialists  became  ever  heavier.  Denjiro  Kotoku 
went  to  America,  and  in  San  Francisco  he  asso- 
ciated with  the  anarchists,  became  an  anarchist 
himself,  and  retiuned  to  Japan.  From  this  time 
the  socialists’  society  was  divided  into  two  camps. 
Kotoku’s  camp  decided  that  it  was  impossible 
to  control  the  houses  of  the  Diet  by  votes,  and 
that  the  only  way  opened  to  them  was  to  resort 
to  strikes  in  order  to  accomplish  their  object. 
They  called  this  a “direct  action.’’  The  other 
camp  was  represented  by  Katayama,  Nishikawa, 
and  others.  These  leaders  maintained  the  tenet 
to  which  they  clung,  namely  that  they  would 
advocate  socialism  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of 
the  country,  and  would  try  to  gain  their  point  by 
means  of  ballots.  But  the  separation  of  the  two 
camps  became  apparent  in  Meiji  42  (1909),  when 
a meeting  was  held  at  the  Kinkikwan,  Tokyo,  at 
which  the  radicals  among  the  Kotoku  camp  got 


Socialism  in  Japan 


115 

into  an  altercation  with  the  poHce  authorities 
present.  This  brought  about  the  famous  “red 
flag”  affair,  as  a result  of  which  several  young  men 
identified  with  the  Kotoku  camp  of  socialists  were 
arrested  and  imprisoned. 

Afterward  Kotoku  went  to  Yugahara  in  Saga- 
mi,  where  he  was  engaged  in  writing  a book  on 
Christ  Denied,  and  in  translating  Renan’s  Life  of 
Jesus.  Meanwhile  Miss  Suga  Kanno  and  two  or 
three  of  her  comrades  planned  to  assassinate  the 
August  person,  and  consequently  twenty-four  of 
the  comrades  were  arrested.  On  January  19,  Meiji 
44  (1911),  a judgment  was  rendered  by  the  court 
of  the  special  session,  by  which  the  arrested  were 
sentenced  to  execution.  But  twelve  of  them  were 
pardoned  by  the  special  dispensation  of  the  Emper- 
or Meiji  and  were  allowed  to  remain  imprisoned 
for  life.  Kotoku,  Kanno,  and  others,  numbering 
twelve,  were  executed  on  the  25th  of  that  month. 

The  Katsura  ministry,  which  had  indirect  re- 
lation w'ith  this  incident,  managed  to  have  1,500,- 
000  yen  granted  out  of  the  Imperial  Household 
treasury  on  the  occasion  of  Kigensetsu,  a feast  for 
the  celebration  of  the  founding  of  the  Empire,  on 
February  nth,  which  amount  was  added  to  the 
contributions  made  by  private  persons,  in  all 
aggregating  20,000,000  yen.  With  this  fund  the 
Saiseikwai,  a charity  society,  was  instituted. 
Prince  Katsura  himself  was  appointed  President 
of  the  society  and  has  directed  the  work  of  assist- 
ing the  poor  and  the  needy. 


ii6  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


The  execution  of  Kotoku  and  his  comrades  was 
a severe  blow  to  the  socialists.  To  be  sure,  govern- 
ment has  not  stopped  its  arresting  hand  at  that, 
and  the  movements  of  the  socialists  are  strictly 
prohibited.  But  the  socialism  as  an  idea  has 
rather  spread  than  subsided  in  the  coimtry. 
There  is  no  question  but  that,  along  with  the 
world  tendencies  of  thought,  the  socialistic  move- 
ment will  take  a new  form  and  make  its  appearance 
in  Japan. 


CHRISTIANITY  IN  JAPAN 


TASUKU  HARADA 

[Rev.  Tasuku  Harada,  B.D.  (Yale),  D.D.  (Amherst),  LL.D. 
(Edinburgh  Univ.),  president  of  Doshisha  University,  Kyoto, 
pastor  of  Kumiai  (Congregational)  Churches  in  Tokyo , Kobe 
and  Kyoto,  president  of  National  Council  of  Kumiai  Churches, 
president  of  Christian  Endeavour  Union  of  Japan;  bom  1863 
at  Kumamoto:  in  1891,  he  was  delegate  to  the  World  Congre- 
gational Council  at  London;  1900,  delegate  to  the  World 
Christian  Endeavour  Convention;  1910,  delegate  to  the  World 
Missionary  Conference,  Edinburgh;  the  same  year,  lectured  at 
Yale,  Hartford,  and  some  other  institutions  in  the  United  States; 
1915,  he  travelled  extensively  in  India;  editor  of  Kirisuto-Kyo 
Sekai  (Christian  World);  author  of  The  Faith  and  Ideal;  and 
The  Time  of  Jesus  (Japanese),  The  Faith  of  Japan  (English), 
etc.] 

There  are  many  problems  which  confront  the 
Christian  Church  in  Japan.  Let  me  briefly  deal 
with  some  of  the  more  practical  ones. 

I . One  of  the  most  imperative  problems  is  the 
unification  of  the  various  branches  of  the  Church, 
for  there  is  hardly  any  greater  hindrance  to  the 
spread  of  Christianity  than  the  present  diversity  of 
denominations  and  antagonism  between  differ- 
ent communions.  Among  Protestants  there  are  at 
present  931  foreign  missionaries  and  561  ordained 
Japanese  evangelists  and  pastors,  and  some  75,000 

117 


ii8  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


church  members,  and  these  are  divided  into  over 
twenty  different  denominations.  Furthermore, 
almost  every  denomination  has  its  own  educational 
institutions,  with  the  natural  result  that  the  equip- 
ment of  most  of  them  is  sadly  deficient.  If  it  were 
possible  in  the  near  future  to  effect  the  imion  of 
these  various  denominations  and  their  educational 
institutions,  their  efficiency  would  be  increased 
at  least  three-  or  four-fold.  The  present  use  of 
forces  and  equipment  is  in  the  highest  degree 
wasteful  of  both  men  and  money ; and  here  again, 
as  “evidence  weighs  more  than  argument,’’  if 
we  could  exhibit  a imion  in  both  spirit  and  organi- 
zation no  one  could  calculate  how  great  would  be 
the  direct  gain  in  evangelistic  efficiency  and  the 
indirect  gain  in  the  heightened  respect  of  the 
nation  at  large  for  Christianity. 

2.  The  expansion  of  Christian  education  is  the 
second  urgent  need.  Thirty  years  ago  Christian 
higher  educational  institutions  could  compare 
favourably  with  the  corresponding  grade  of  govern- 
ment institutions  in  both  equipment  and  work, 
and  Christian  girls’  schools  were  admittedly  in 
the  front  rank.  IVIeanwhile,  however,  govern- 
ment and  public  schools  have  advanced  a hundred 
paces,  while  Christian  schools  have  taken  but  two 
or  three  faltering  steps.  The  government  schools 
now  are  like  full-grown  men  and  the  Christian 
schools  like  boys.  In  the  four  Imperial  universi- 
ties there  are  some  500  professors  and  instructors 
and  7500  students.  In  the  eight  higher  schools 


Christianity  in  Japan  119 

and  the  fifty  or  so  higher  technical  schools  there 
are  2000  professors  and  instructors  and  23,000 
students.  In  the  four  hundred  and  fifty  boys’  and 
girls’  government  middle  schools  the  number  of 
pupils  exceeds  160,000.  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  in  all  these  government  and  public 
institutions  the  following  “Instruction,”  issued 
by  the  Minister  of  Education  in  1899,  is  strictly 
observed:  “It  being  essential  from  the  point  of 

view  of  educational  administration  that  general 
education  should  be  independent  of  religion, 
instruction  in  religion  shall  not  be  given  or  religious 
services  held  at  government  schools,  public 
schools,  or  schools  whose  curricula  are  regulated 
by  provisions  of  law,  even  outside  of  the  regular 
course  of  instruction.” 

Contrast  with  these  figures  the  Christian  schools, 
which  have  enrolled  in  the  middle  schools  only 
3416  pupils,  and  in  the  higher  or  collegiate  schools 
332  students,  while  throughout  the  Christian 
educational  system  there  is  no  institution  that 
is  really  worthy  of  the  title  of  a university.  Even 
Christian  girls’  schools  have  at  length  fallen  behind 
the  corresponding  government  schools.  Mean- 
while, Buddhist  schools  have  caught  up  to,  and 
in  some  cases  passed,  the  Christian  institutions. 

When  confronted  by  such  discouraging  facts  as 
these,  some  persons  are  incHned  to  throw  up  their 
hands  and  exclaim,  “If  that  is  the  situation,  what 
is  the  use  of  attempting  to  keep  up  the  compe- 
tition?” But  such  an  attitude  is,  to  say  the  least, 


120  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


short-sighted.  Supposing  for  a moment  that  all 
the  universities  and  high  schools  of  Great  Britain 
and  America  should  have  all  Christian  worship 
and  Christian  teaching  eradicated,  can  one  con- 
ceive that  the  Christian  civilization  of  these 
countries  could  be  maintained?  Hitherto  the 
respect  accorded  to  Christianity  in  Japan  has  been 
due  in  large  measure  to  the  fact  that  there  has 
been  a comparatively  large  number  of  Christians 
of  university  standing,  most  of  whom  have  spent 
some  time  in  study  abroad.  They  have  held  their 
own  with  non-Christian  scholars  as  exponents  of 
Western  thought ; but  if  the  falling  behind  of 
Christian  schools  is  not  checked,  it  is  no  exaggera- 
tion to  say  that  within  twenty  or  thirty  years 
Christian  scholarship  will  be  an  inconsiderable 
factor  in  the  thought  and  higher  life  of  the  nation. 
It  is  certainly  a crisis,  calling  for  resolute  action 
and  large  poHcies  by  all  the  Christian  forces.  We 
need  the  best  possible  middle  schools,  where  the 
foundations  of  high  and  manly  character  may  be 
laid;  we  need  Christian  higher  schools,  where  a 
liberal  training  may  be  given ; and  we  need 
Christian  universities,  with  theological,  arts,  and 
science  departments,  to  produce  leaders  in  these 
branches  of  knowledge.  Then,  for  the  first  time, 
we  shall  be  able  to  say  that  Christianity  is  per- 
manently planted  in  Japan.  For  the  consumma- 
tion of  the  evangelization  of  Japan  in  any  true 
sense  such  educational  institutions  are  a sine  qua 
non,  and  for  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  we  must 


Christianity  in  Japan 


121 


continue  to  look  for  generous  help  to  our  Christian 
friends  across  the  seas.  In  Christian  education, 
at  least,  there  is  no  room  for  argument  as  to  the 
need  of  greatly  increased  reinforcements  of  men 
and  of  money  from  foreign  countries.  And  it 
should  be  added  that  there  is  no  fear  that  the 
number  of  Christian  schools  will  exceed  the 
demand,  for,  according  to  government  statistics, 
there  are  at  least  three  times  as  many  applicants 
for  admission  to  higher  schools  as  there  are  places 
available. 

3.  Japan  needs  more  teachers  and  scholars  of 
the  highest  character  and  scholarship  from  abroad. 
One  of  the  most  encouraging  facts  in  the  history 
of  Christian  work  in  Japan  is  the  deep  and  lasting 
influence  exerted  upon  the  educational  and  higher 
classes  by  such  men  as  Professor  Ladd,  President 
Cuthbert  Hall,  President  Churchill  King,  and 
others.  Their  eminent  attainments  have  done 
much  to  raise  the  prestige  of  the  Christian  move- 
ment as  a whole.  I would  not  be  understood  as 
advocating  visits  by  distinguished  Americans 
alone.  We  earnestly  hope  that  more  men  like 
Professor  Macalister  and  Sir  Alexander  Simpson 
will  come  from  Great  Britain  and  Europe.  In  no 
way  can  Christianity  be  commended  to  our  most 
thoughtful  men  so  effectively  as  by  specialists 
in  literature,  theology,  philosophy,  psychology, 
sociology,  and  science.  They  will  command  a 
hearing  and  sow  seed  that  wall  sooner  or  later 
yield  a rich  harvest.  But  when  such  visitors 


122  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

come  to  Japan  we  trust  that  they  will  not  give 
merely  doctrinal  expositions  of  Christianity,  nor 
waste  time  in  complimenting  us,  but  will  rather 
treat  their  special  subjects,  such  as  education  and 
sociology,  from  the  point  of  view  of  Christianity, 
as  well  as  expose  our  defects  and  point  the  way  to 
their  correction  through  the  power  of  Christ. 

4.  We  need  to  have  many  more  standard 
Christian  works  presented  in  our  own  tongue. 
The  majority  of  Japanese  scholars  to-day  look 
contemptuously  on  Christian  philosophy  as  far 
inferior  to  Buddhist  philosophy,  and  this  view  is 
unfortunately  shared  even  by  some  Christians. 
One  of  the  best  means  of  correcting  this  miscon- 
ception is  to  translate  and  publish  in  Japanese  the 
standard  literary  works  of  the  Occident.  At  the 
same  time  it  would  be  extremely  desirable  to  trans- 
late and  circulate,  among  both  Christians  and 
non-Christians,  some  of  the  best  recent  utterances 
of  Western  writers.  Furthermore,  it  is  necessary 
that  Christians  should  be  made  acquainted  with 
the  content,  not  only  of  their  own  faith,  but  also 
of  the  assured  results  of  the  critical  study  of 
Buddhism,  Shinto,  and  Confucianism.  A positive 
and  open-minded  treatment  of  such  subjects 
would  do  not  a little  to  correct  the  misconceptions 
among  thoughtful  men  at  large,  and  to  create 
sound  convictions  among  Christians  themselves. 

5.  In  addition  to  Christian  scholars  from 
abroad,  Japan  needs  to  be  visited  by  Christians  of 
less  specialized  training — men  of  standing  in  the 


Christianity  in  Japan 


123 


business  and  political  worlds,  leaders  in  industry 
and  applied  science.  They  could  do  much  for  the 
spread  of  Christianity  by  coming  into  intimate 
contact  with  Japanese.  For  one  thing,  they 
could  help  to  bridge  the  deep  gulf  of  national  and 
racial  prejudice,  and  to  demonstrate  that  Chris- 
tianity, in  fact  as  well  as  in  theory,  embodies  the 
Confucian  precept,  “All  within  the  four  seas  are 
brothers.”  Is  it  not  the  natural  way  for  each  class 
to  evangelize  its  fellows — for  publicists  to  win 
publicists,  for  men  of  affairs  to  win  men  of  affairs? 
If  this  were  realized  more  fully  by  the  various 
classes  of  Western  residents  in  the  East,  who  can 
doubt  that  the  Christianization  of  Japan  would  be 
greatly  hastened?  Would  it  not  be  but  a carrying 
out  of  the  underlying  spirit  of  the  Laymen’s  Mis- 
sionary Movement,  which  declares  that  its  mem- 
bers must  give  not  only  money  but  voluntary 
and  personal  service  for  the  evangelization  of 
the  world?  Let  Western  Christian  laymen  be  as- 
sured that  if  they  come  in  such  a spirit  to  Japan 
they  will  meet  with  the  heartiest  welcome. 

6.  There  is  need  for  the  Christian  forces  to  pay 
more  attention  to  promoting  international  peace. 
Fortunately,  the  impression  that  all  missionaries 
were  spies  and  emissaries  for  the  betrayal  of  the 
country  has  entirely  died  out,  and  the  fact  that  a 
person  is  a foreigner  is  no  longer  a cause  for  dis- 
trust or  hatred.  But  at  the  same  time  there  are 
deep-seated  national  and  racial  prejudices  which 
are  by  no  means  limited  to  Japanese.  Looked  at 


124  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


from  the  standpoint  of  both  politics  and  religion, 
is  it  not  incumbent  upon  every  Christian  worker, 
whether  foreign  or  native,  to  exert  himself  to  the 
utmost  to  do  away  with  all  these  disturbing 
factors?  The  first  purpose  of  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary in  Japan  should  be  to  preach  his  religion, 
not  because  it  is  his  own  religion,  but  because  he 
loves  the  Japanese  and  wants  to  help  them  by 
giving  them  the  most  precious  thing  in  his  posses- 
sion. The  missionary  who  can  create  the  convic- 
tion in  the  minds  of  Japanese  that  love  is  foremost 
and  propaganda  secondary  is  the  one  who  will  win 
their  imdying  affection  and  lead  them  to  Christ. 

7.  The  time  has  come  for  a larger  proportion 
of  missionaries  to  be  sent  into  the  interior.  Some 
may  ask  whether  there  is  any  need  of  increasing 
the  missionary  force  at  all,  and  to  this  I un- 
hesitatingly answer,  “Yes”;  but  most  of  the  ad- 
ditional missionaries  are  needed  for  different 
functions  than  those  hitherto  filled  by  them.  The 
pioneer  period  has  passed.  The  need  for  mis- 
sionaries to  control  the  management  and  activities 
of  the  Church  has  now  gone  by.  Henceforth, 
speaking  broadly,  the  need  will  be  for  specialists  of 
some  sort,  whether  theologians,  or  Biblical  schol- 
ars, or  musicians,  or  science  teachers,  or  experts 
in  social-religious  work  and  administration.  At 
the  same  time,  those  whom  we  may  term  “ ordinary 
missionaries”  should  be  scattered  from  the  large 
cities  out  into  the  towns  and  villages  of  ten  or 
fifteen  thousand  inhabitants.  They  should  live 


Christianity  in  Japan 


125 


with  the  people  like  parish  priests,  knowing  them 
in  their  most  intimate  needs,  and  establishing 
lifelong  friendships — especially  with  persons  of 
education  and  influence  in  the  town.  It  would, 
of  course,  be  important  that  missionaries  should 
work  hand  in  hand  with  Japanese  evangelists, 
but  in  certain  respects  the  missionary  is  better 
fitted  to  take  the  lead  in  such  interior  work  than 
the  Japanese.  I feel  sure  that  missionaries  who 
combine  a broad  culture  with  ardent  devotion  to 
the  people  will  still  be  able  to  play  a notable  part 
in  the  evangelization  of  the  Empire.  And  they 
may  work  with  the  consciousness  that  their  efforts 
are  doubly  worth  while,  for  they  are  in  a real  sense 
working  not  only  for  Japan  but  for  the  world,  for 
the  mould  in  which  Christianity  is  cast  in  Japan 
will  modify  not  a little  the  outlines  of  Christianity 
throughout  the  world. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  important  for  every  one 
concerned  to  realize  that  the  Christianization  of 
Japan  is  no  holiday  task;  indeed,  it  is  certain  to 
be  a long  and  severe  campaign.  Since  the  time 
when  Christianity  assimilated  Greek  thought 
and  conquered  Roman  civilization,  it  has  never 
faced  a task  so  stupendous  as  that  of  the  conquest 
of  the  Orient.  Japan,  with  all  her  progress  in  the 
arts  and  crafts  of  civilization,  and  all  her  friendli- 
ness toward  Christian  ethical  standards,  is  still 
far  from  being  a Christian  nation.  Yet,  gigantic 
as  are  the  internal  forces  arrayed  against  Chris- 
tianity, the  Christian  cohorts  are  daily  growing  in 


126  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


numbers  and  efficiency,  and  there  are  multitudes 
of  Nicodemuses  needing  only  a crisis  to  bring  them 
out  into  the  open.  The  disquieting  consideration 
is  that  the  tides  of  the  new  social  and  religious  life 
are  waiting  for  no  man.  To  keep  up  with  these 
rapid  movements  the  Christian  Churches  and 
missionary  bodies  should  accelerate  their  pace. 
The  situation  in  the  whole  Orient,  in  fact,  consti- 
tutes one  of  the  most  splendid  opportunities,  and 
at  the  same  time  one  of  the  gravest  crises,  in  the 
whole  history  of  the  Church.  With  every  passing 
year  the  opportunity  is  slipping  farther  from  her 
grasp.  I make  bold  to  say  that  her  victory  or 
defeat  in  Japan  will  largely  determine  the  future 
of  Christianity  in  the  whole  Far  East. 


A SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  BANK 
OF  JAPAN 


YATARO  MISHIMA 

[Viscount  Yataro  Mishima,  Governor  of  the  Bank  of  Japan, 
member  of  House  of  Peers;  bom  April,  1867;  studied  in  America, 
1884-90,  becoming  M.A.  (Cornell)  in  1890;  the  same  year, 
went  to  Europe  to  continue  his  studies;  on  his  return  home, 
Feb.,  1892,  he  began  his  career  as  an  expert  in  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  and  Commerce;  in  1897,  he  was  on  the  com- 
mission for  the  investigation  of  the  American  postal  system; 
1897,  was  elected  member  of  House  of  Peers;  1899,  became  au- 
ditor of  the  Gan-Etsu  Ry.  Co.,  and  then  was  successively  one 
of  its  directors  and  its  president;  1906-1910,  he  was  on  several 
important  commissions  including  the  South  Manchuria  Railway 
Commission;  1911,  became  president  of  the  Yokohama  Specie 
Bank;  was  transferred  to  his  present  post,  June  i,  1913;  he  is 
a leader  in  the  Upper  House.] 

I.  BANKING  SYSTEM  PRIOR  TO  THE  FOUNDATION 
OF  THE  BANK 

Japanese  monetary  and  banking  systems  prior 
to  the  establishment  of  the  Bank  of  Japan  were 
directly  copied  from  the  systems  of  the  United 
States  of  America:  a standard  money  was  fixed, 
one  yen  in  gold,  that  is  nearly  equal  to  one  dollar; 
and  the  government  not  only  issued  paper  money, 
but  also  authorized  each  national  bank  to  issue 


127 


128  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


its  own  bank-notes,  these  national  banks  of  issue 
having  been  established  all  over  the  cotintry  under 
the  auspices  of  the  government. 

But  since  the  trade  silver  dollar  was  minted 
together  with  the  standard  gold  coin,  and  sub- 
sequently the  former  was  permitted  to  circulate 
in  the  interior,  a change  had  been  brought  about 
to  the  monetary  system  in  which  silver  now  was 
to  be  the  actual  standard,  while  the  gold  standard 
remained  only  nominal.  As  to  the  paper  money, 
both  an  increase  of  the  government  issues  in  conse- 
quence of  the  pressing  needs  of  the  state  and  an 
increase  of  the  notes  issued  by  the  national  banks 
had  accelerated  inflation  to  such  an  enormous 
amount  as  to  bring  about  not  a small  premium 
between  silver  and  paper.  This  at  once  affected 
and  greatly  disturbed  the  economic  circles.  And 
yet  none  of  the  national  banks  was  capable  to  do 
the  work  of  readjustment,  for  they  established 
themselves  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  each 
one  having  a very  small  capital.  Accordingly, 
monetary  transactions  were  far  from  being  smooth, 
and  the  rate  of  interest  was  ruHng  very  high. 

II.  FOUNDATION  OF  THE  BANK  OF  JAPAN 

At  this  juncture.  Marquis  Matsukata,  the  then 
Minister  of  Finance,  devised  the  establishment  of 
a central  bank  after  the  fashion  of  the  banking 
systems  in  Europe,  with  a view  to  facilitating 
monetary  transactions  in  all  parts  of  the  coimtry 


An  Account  of  the  Bank  of  Japan  129 


and  lowering  the  rate  of  interest  for  the  benefit 
of  productive  industries,  consolidating  the  privi- 
leges of  note  issue  for  the  strengthening  of  credit, 
and  transferring  the  treasury  business  from  the 
government  through  the  necessity  of  preventing 
the  State’s  finances  from  being  in  a state  of  confu- 
sion. The  plan  finally  took  shape  in  1882  and  the 
Bank  of  Japan  was  founded.  But  just  at  the  time 
of  its  establishment  convertible  bank-notes  could 
not  be  issued,  a supply  of  hard  cash  being  short 
in  the  whole  cotmtry.  Later  on,  however,  with 
the  progress  of  financial  adjustment  the  amount 
of  specie  gradually  augmented  to  such  extent 
as  to  be  kept  in  reserve  against  note  issues,  and 
at  the  same  time,  with  the  enactment  of  the 
Convertible  Bank  Note  Regulations  in  May,  1884, 
the  issue  of  such  bank-notes  was  inaugurated. 

III.  RELATIONS  OF  THE  BANK  TO  THE  GOVERNMENT 

Soon  after  the  Bank  having  been  organized 
in  accordance  with  the  intent  and  purpose  for  its 
establishment,  the  government  entrusted  to  the 
Bank  the  business  for  part  of  the  state  funds, 
followed  by  the  business  of  employing  the  funds 
belonging  to  the  Treasury  Deposit  Bureau,  and 
since  July,  1886,  also  the  business  in  connection 
with  the  national  debts. 

Ever  since  the  Rules  of  Treasury  were  enacted 
in  1889,  and  in  the  year  following  the  Bank  was 
authorized  by  the  government  to  transact  the 


130  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

business  of  receiving  and  disbursing  state  funds 
in  general,  the  Bank  now  has  been  placed  in  a 
position  to  conduct  all  the  business  in  connection 
with  state  funds,  together  with  their  distribution, 
and  the  issue  and  redemption  of  national  loans. 
Further,  in  1909,  according  to  the  Law  for  the 
Accounts  of  the  Imperial  Railways,  the  Bank  was 
required  to  act  as  depositary  of  the  cash  belonging 
to  the  Railway  Accounts. 

IV.  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  BANK 

Though  only  thirty  years  have  elapsed  since  the 
foundation  of  the  Bank,  it  has  made  rapid  strides 
in  the  growth  of  business.  The  Bank  was  or- 
ganized with  the  capital  of  10,000,000  yen,  but  only 
within  a few  years  insiifhciency  of  its  resources  was 
so  felt,  that  in  1887  an  increase  of  its  capital  was 
made  from  10,000,000  to  20,000,000  yen.  This 
was  followed  by  another  increase  in  1895,  so  that 
the  capital  stood  at  the  figure  of  30,000,000  yen. 
But  still  another  increase  to  60,000,000  yen  was 
decided  upon  in  February,  1910,  in  order  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  times.  Now  the  capital  of  the 
Bank  stands  at  60,000,000  yen,  divided  into  300,000 
shares  of  200  yen  each.  On  application  to  the 
government  for  approval  of  the  resolutions  passed 
in  the  extraordinary  general  meeting  of  share- 
holders regarding  the  renewal  of  the  business  term 
which  expires  on  October  9,  1912,  together  with 
the  measure  taken  by  the  Bank  to  increase  its 


An  Account  of  the  Bank  of  Japan  131 


capital,  the  Bank  was  granted  the  charter  for  the 
renewal  of  its  business  term  on  February  19,  1910, 
so  that  the  Bank’s  business  term  is  now  extended 
for  another  thirty  years’  till  October  9,  1942,  after 
the  date  of  expiration. 


V.  PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  THE  BANK 


The  Bank,  as  pointed  out  before,  is  now  the  only 
bank  of  issue  in  the  country,  and  transacts  the 
business  in  connection  with  state  funds  and 
national  debts  in  addition  to  ordinary  banking 
business.  The  administration  of  the  Bank  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  Administrative  Board  which 
consists  of  one  Governor,  one  Vice-Governor  and 
four  Directors. 

The  Governor  presides  over  the  Administrative 
Board  and  executes  the  resolutions  passed  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Board.  There  are  now  five  Audi- 
tors, who  inspect  the  business  management  of  the 
Bank  and  also  inspect  its  books.  At  present,  the 
Governor  is  Viscount  Yataro  Mishima,  member 
of  the  House  of  Peers,  and  the  Vice-Governor  is 
Mr.  Kesaroku  Mizumachi. 

The  business  at  the  Head  Office  of  the  Bank  is 
at  present  conducted  through  the  following  di- 
visions under  the  management  of  a chief  officer 
of  each  division : 


1.  Inspector's  Bureau, 

2.  Business  Department, 

3.  Cash  Department, 

4.  Treasury  Department, 

5.  Secretary’s  Department, 


6.  Security  Department, 

7.  Accountant  Department, 

8.  Economic  Research  Depart- 
ment, 

Private  Secretary’s  Bureau. 


9- 


132  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


The  Bank  has  nine  branches  which  are  respec- 
tively located  at  Osaka,  Moji,  Kyoto,  Nagoya, 
Otaru,  Hakodate,  Fukushima,  Hiroshima,  and 
Kanazawa.  Two  more  branches  are  to  be  estab- 
lished in  Matsumoto  and  Niigata  during  the  year 
(1914). 

The  number  of  officers  and  clerks  employed  by 
the  Bank  was  792  at  the  end  of  the  year  1913. 
Besides  there  are  at  present  over  450  employees, 
including  the  girls  engaged  in  the  work  regarding 
the  government  bonds,  bank-notes,  and  securities 
in  their  respective  departments. 

VI.  THE  bank’s  report 

The  Bank  publishes  a half-yearly  balance  sheet 
in  February  and  August  every  year,  when  a general 
meeting  of  shareholders  is  to  be  held,  and  at  the 
general  meeting  in  February  it  also  publishes  its 
Business  Report  for  the  preceding  year.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  reports  the  Bank  publishes  on  every 
Wednesday  its  weekly  balance  sheet  for  the  week 
ending  Saturday. 


THE  RAILWAYS  OF  JAPAN 


TAKEJIRO  TOKONAMI 


[Mr.  Takejiro  Tokonami,  president  of  the  Imperial  Railway 
Board;  bom  Kagoshima,  Jan.,  1897;  graduated  from  the  Law 
College  of  Tokyo  Imperial  University;  was  successively 
secretary  in  the  Financial  Department,  secretary  in  the  Pre- 
fectural  Offices  of  Yamagata  and  Niigata,  Governor  of  Toku- 
shima and  Akita  prefectures,  etc.;  in  1906,  he  was  appointed 
Vice-Minister  of  the  Home  Department.  Author,  Obei  Shokan 
(Glimpses  of  Europe  and  America) .] 

GENERAL  REMARKS 

According  to  the  returns  made  in  1913,  the 
aggregate  mileage  of  railway  lines  in  Japan  Proper 
and  Chosen  (Korea)  amounts  roughly  to  7000 
miles,  of  which  some  6150  miles  are  owned  by  the 
government  (some  5200  miles  by  the  Imperial 
Government  Railways  of  Japan)  and  some  770 
miles  by  private  corporations.  Compared  with 
the  United  States  in  which  there  are  250,000  miles 
of  railways,  the  aforesaid  length  of  lines  may  be 
considered  very  insignificant,  like  a baby,  as  it 
were,  in  the  presence  of  a giant.  But  Japan’s 
railway  development  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be 
too  slack  or  slow,  in  view  of  the  geographical 
nature  of  the  covmtry,  which  is  imfavourable  for 

133 


134  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


any  great  length  of  lines,  the  component  parts 
of  the  Empire  forming  a long  stretch  of  narrow 
islands,  and  considering  also  the  comparatively 
late  inception  of  railway  enterprises,  dating  back 
only  to  1872.  At  the  outset,  railway  construction 
was  almost  exclusively  in  the  hands  of  the  govern- 
ment, which  later  on  opened  this  new  enterprise 
to  private  capital  and  encomraged  different  com- 
panies to  undertake  it.  As  years  advanced,  the 
public  was  convinced  by  experience  of  the  advisa- 
bility of  government  ownership  of  main  trunk 
lines,  which  are,  so  to  speak,  the  arteries  of  national 
life,  and  the  government  bought  various  private 
lines  of  some  importance  in  the  years  1906  and 
1907,  and  thus  the  railway  nationalization  was 
brought  about  with  satisfactory  results.  At 
present,  as  evidenced  by  the  figures  already 
quoted,  the  Imperial  Government  Railways  own 
and  operate  the  largest  portion  of  the  whole  rail- 
way system,  which,  furthermore,  cover  the  most 
important  districts,  linking  together  all  principal 
centres  of  commercial  and  industrial  activity. 

A striking  geographical  feature  of  the  coimtry 
is  the  prevalence  of  moimtains,  and  this  renders 
railway  construction  extraordinarily  difficult;  the 
lines  already  constructed  abound  in  sharp  curves 
and  steep  gradients.  Timnels,  which  are  com- 
paratively seldom  met  with  on  Enghsh  and 
American  railways,  are  burrowed  through  many 
mountains  and  hills,  and  no  long  journeys  can  be 
accomplished  without  coming  across  them. 


The  Railways  of  Japan 


135 


The  capital  invested  up  to  March,  1913,  in  the 
6000  miles  of  Japanese  railways  exclusive  of  those 
in  Chosen,  totalled  $467,000,000,  which  includes 
$434,000,000  for  5200  miles  of  the  government 
lines  and  $33,000,000  for  the  private  lines.  The 
latter  lines,  however,  aggregate  only  770  miles, 
w’hich  are  owned  by  forty  different  companies 
and  contain  no  veiy^  big  system  worth  touching 
upon  here.  As  mentioned  above,  the  total  capital 
invested  in  the  government  hnes  is  $434,000,000, 
but  this  sum  covers  the  natural  increase  of  valua- 
tion, due  to  the  nationalization  of  the  principal 
private  companies’  lines,  on  the  investment 
actually  made  by  these  companies.  The  margin  in 
question  is  about  $110,000,000,  which  being 
deducted  from  the  said  sum,  the  actual  capital 
amounts  to  $324,000,000.  The  annual  net  profit 
of  the  government  lines  is  approximately  $28,700,- 
000  and  its  ratio  to  the  capital  was  8.9  % for 
the  fiscal  year  ending  March,  1913.  The  figures 
showing  the  amount  of  interest  accruing  from  the 
railway  working  for  the  five  years  preceding  1913 


are  as  follows : 

1908 

8.5% 

1909 

7-6% 

1910 

7-6% 

1911 

8.1% 

1912 

9-0% 

Having  regard  to  the  statistics  above  referred 
to,  it  is  not  too  much  to  affirm  that  the  results 


136  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


achieved  by  the  Japanese  Government  railways 
are  well-nigh  unique,  of  which  we  may  not  un- 
reasonably feel  proud,  more  particularly  as  this 
success  has  been  attained,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
the  construction  of  the  railways  is  comparatively 
expensive  and  their  general  working  is  in  many 
respects  difficult,  owing  to  the  geographical  dis- 
advantages of  the  lands  traversed. 

Although  Japan’s  railway  enterprises  are  in  a 
satisfactory  financial  state,  as  detailed  above,  the 
railway  fares  and  rates  cannot  be  said  to  be  very 
high  for  either  passenger  or  freight  service.  The 
average  passenger  fare  per  mile  is  0.7  cent  and  the 
average  freight  rate  per  ton  mile  0.9  cent,  while 
these  are  respectively  about  two  cents  and  one 
cent  in  the  United  States. 

Furthermore,  these  cheap  fares  and  rates  are 
levied  for  much  shorter  journeys  and  hauls  than 
those  on  American  railways.  The  average  jour- 
ney per  passenger  is  twenty-two  miles,  and  the 
average  haul  per  ton  eighty-three  miles,  which  are 
no  more  than  one-third  of  the  corresponding  fig- 
ures in  the  United  States.  When  these  conditions 
are  taken  into  consideration,  the  exceptional  cheap- 
ness of  all  railway  fares  and  rates  is  self-evident. 

THE  ORGANIZATION  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  JAPANESE 
RAILWAYS 

The  Imperial  Government  Railway  Board, 
directly  responsible  to  the  Prime-Minister,  is  an 


The  Railways  of  Japan 


137 


organization  on  the  greatest  scale  that  superin- 
tends all  the  railway  enterprises  in  the  Japanese 
Empire,  and  also  operates  the  government  lines, 
known  as  the  Imperial  Government^  Railw^ays, 
which  constitute  the  largest  portion  of  Japan’s 
railw’ay  systems.  The  Board’s  chief  officer  is  the 
President,  and  its  headquarters  are  located  in 
Tokyo,  w'here  aU  the  important  railway  under- 
takings, such  as  transportation,  engineering, 
finance,  etc.,  are  initiated  and  their  actual  execution 
supervised.  The  Imperial  Government  Railways 
are  geographically  divided  into  four  parts,  each 
of  which  is  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  a local 
Divisional  Superintendent  Office,  which  manages 
the  railway  working  in  the  territory  covered. 
The  Main  Island,  accordingly,  is  divided  into  two 
parts,  the  north-eastern  half  imder  the  Tokyo 
Divisional  Superintendent  Office,  and  the  south- 
western half  under  the  Kobe  Divisional  Superin- 
tendent Office,  while  Plokkaido,  the  northern 
island,  and  Kyushu,  the  southern  island,  are  each 
placed  under  similar  offices. 

From  the  financial  point  of  view,  the  Imperial 
Government  Railways  are  set  apart  as  special 
accoimt,  and  all  disbursements  for  construction, 
w'orking,  improvement,  etc.,  are  to  be  met  by  the 
receipts  and  profits  accruing  from  railway  traffic. 
Thus  the  railway  finance  is  distinctly  independent 
of  the  general  budget,  and  the  working  and  im- 
provement of  the  government  railways  are  carried 
out  entirely  on  the  basis  of  their  own  traffic 


138  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


revenue.  It  has  recently  been  decided  that  the 
necessary  funds  for  the  future  extension  of  railway 
enterprises  are  to  be  obtained  from  the  source  of 
public  loans  as  well  as  their  net  profit.  As  indi- 
cated already,  the  government  railway  lines  are 
advancing  with  giant  strides  year  by  year,  and, 
regarded  even  from  the  narrow  viewpoint  of  a mere 
money-making  concern,  promise  future  prosperity. 
It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  the  railways  are 
undoubtedly  the  most  hopeful  of  all  Japan’s 
enterprises  of  whatever  kind. 

THE  SERVICE  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  GOVERNMENT 
RAILWAYS 

Turning  to  the  traffic  business  of  the  Imperial 
Government  Railways,  the  railway  system  under 
their  management  extends  almost  all  over  the 
Empire  and  reaches  far  outlying  districts.  This 
fast  extending  system  of  about  5500  miles  (at 
the  beginning  of  1914),  connects  important  cities, 
towns,  and  ports,  and  almost  all  tourist  points  of 
interest  are  located  on  their  lines.  As  Japan  is  an 
island  empire,  the  railways  perforce  cannot  run 
in  an  unbroken  series  throughout  the  country, 
and  the  Imperial  Government  Railways  operate 
ferry  services  on  the  channels  of  any  importance 
between  the  separate  islands,  thus  effectually 
carrying  out  through  connections  by  rail.  The 
inland  journeys  are  almost  entirely  accomplished 
by  railway  lines,  and  except  for  the  transportation 


The  Railways  of  Japan 


139 


of  freight  along  coast  lines,  which  is  shared  by  the 
coasting  steamers,  the  movement  of  freight, 
between  seaports  and  the  interior  centres  of  pro- 
duction, etc.,  is  exclusively  controlled  by  railway 
lines.  The  repeated  introduction  of  new  schemes 
for  promoting  the  efficiency  of  passenger  and 
freight  service  has  induced  industrial  activity  on 
all  sides,  and  it  is  evident  by  the  gradual  increase 
of  railway  receipts  that  the  economical  develop- 
ment of  the  Empire  is  largely  reflected  in  the  re- 
sults of  railway  enterprises. 

Through-traffic  arrangements  between  Japan 
and  foreign  countries  have  lately  been  pushed  on 
most  assiduously.  At  present,  on  the  one  hand, 
the  through  transportation  of  passengers  and  their 
luggage  is  operated  to  and  from  those  neighbour- 
ing lands  overseas,  such  as  Chosen  (Korea), 
North  and  South  Manchuria,  Russian  Maritime 
Province,  and  China,  and  farther  afield  to  and 
from  European  Russia  and  West  Europe  over  the 
trans-Siberian  route,  and,  on  the  other,  arrange- 
ments have  been  made  for  the  issuing  of  interchange 
tickets  by  land  and  sea  with  the  chief  trans-Pacific 
and  Suez  steamer  lines,  with  a view  to  passengers’ 
breaking  the  monotony  of  the  sea  voyage  by  over- 
land journeys  in  Japan.  Last  year  saw  the  open- 
ing of  through  transportation  of  freight  with 
North  Manchuria  and  Russian  Maritime  Province, 
and  the  shipping  of  through  freight  can  now  be 
effected  to  all  Far-Eastern  points  by  these  and 
other  arrangements.  AU  the  world’s  highways  of 


140  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


travel  and  transportation,  such  as  the  trans- 
pacific fines,  those  via  Siberia  and  Suez,  and  others 
from  the  South  Seas,  converge  on  Japan,  the 
island  empire  prominently  situated  in  the  west  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  As  a natural  consequence  the 
movements  of  passengers  and  the  import  and 
export  of  freight  contribute  largely  to  the  increase 
of  railway  receipts,  these  keeping  pace  with  the 
rapid  but  steady  promotion  of  Japan’s  national 
activity  in  all  phases. 

Although  the  railway  fines  in  Japan  proper  are 
of  narrow  gauge,  the  Railway  Management 
strives  to  effect  improvements  in  passenger  and 
other  service  in  the  matter  of  comfort,  speed,  and 
safety,  as  far  as  circumstances  permit.  Express 
trains  are  run  on  trunk  fines,  on  which  the  pas- 
senger accommodation  is  of  the  best,  and  sleeping- 
and  dining-cars  are  provided.  The  daily  limited 
express  connecting  Tokyo,  the  metropolis,  and 
Shimonoseki,  the  nucleus  of  various  routes  at  the 
western  extremity  of  the  Main  Island,  has  an  ob- 
servation parlour  car,  after  the  model  of  some 
American  trains,  besides  sleeping-  and  dining-cars. 
These  Japanese  trains  hardly  attain  the  high  stand- 
ard of  excellence  of  the  luxurious  and  fast  Ameri- 
can limited  trains,  but  the  endeavours  of  the 
Railway  Management  are  chiefly  bent  toward  pas- 
sengers’ comfort,  if  not  luxury.  In  these  examples 
mention  has  been  made  only  of  passenger  cars, 
but  the  Imperial  Government  Railways  are  doing 
their  best  also  in  the  lowering  of  rates  for  the 


The  Railways  of  Japan  141 


transportation  of  luggage,  parcels,  and  freight, 
with  a view  to  furthering  public  interests  and 
promoting  the  industrial  and  economical  develop- 
ment of  the  nation  at  large. 

EDUCATION  AND  RELIEF  WORKS  FOR  RAILWAY 
EMPLOYEES 

The  truth  of  the  “Man  behind  the  gun”  holds 
good  in  the  case  of  railways.  The  satisfactory 
development  of  railway  working  depends  much 
upon  the  ripe  experience  of  capable  employees. 
To  this  end  the  Imperial  Government  Railways 
have  planned,  and  are  engaged  in,  the  education 
of,  and  relief  works  for,  their  employees. 

Instruction  on  technical  and  general  lines  is 
given  at  the  institutes  belonging  to  each  local 
Divisional  Superintendent  Office  and  also  at  the 
Central  Institute  in  Tokyo.  The  former  has  two 
departments,  viz.,  traffic  and  engineering,  and  the 
latter,  four  departments,  viz.,  traffic,  engineer- 
ing, electricity,  and  English.  In  these  different 
departments,  railway  employees  are  given  neces- 
sary instruction  in  each  branch  of  technical  educa- 
tion. The  graduates  from  these  institutions, 
since  their  inauguration  in  1909,  number  3211, 
and  their  efficiency  has  been  put  to  the  test  with 
satisfactory  results.  Besides  the  above,  specific 
education  is  imparted  through  different  apprentice 
systems  for  technical  education,  electrical  opera- 


142  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


tions  and  marine  engineering,  and  general  work- 
manship. 

The  relief  systems,  established  by  the  govern- 
ment for  employees  in  the  civil  and  technical 
services,  e.g.  old-age  pensions,  the  maintenance 
of  surviving  famihes,  grants  in  cases  of  resignation, 
death,  or  injury,  are  also  applicable  to  the  em- 
ployees engaged  in  the  Government  Railways. 
According  to  the  provisions  in  these  laws  relating 
to  old-age  pensions,  the  maintenance  of  surviving 
families,  etc.,  the  railway  employees  who  have 
continued  in  the  service  for  more  than  fifteen  years 
are  entitled  in  their  lifetime  to  one  fourth  of  their 
annual  salaries  at  the  time  of  resignation.  This 
also  applies  to  those  injured  while  on  duty  during 
the  fifteen  years,  and  some  grants  are  also  made  to 
the  surviving  members  of  their  families.  Allow- 
ances are  also  made  to  railway  employees  when 
they  resign,  die,  or  are  injured  while  on  duty. 

Besides  these  general  methods  of  relief,  the 
Imperial  Government  Railways  have  a special 
rehef  system  for  injuries  and  old  age,  peculiar  to 
the  Railway  Department.  This  is  the  Relief 
Association,  of  which  the  membership  comprises 
station  employees  and  train  staff  of  lower  grades, 
and  which  has  for  its  object  the  mutual  succour 
of  its  members.  These  members  are  required  to 
pay  in  3 % of  their  salaries,  and  the  government 
supplements  the  sum  by  grants,  equal  to  2%  of 
their  total  salaries,  and  these  contributions  consti- 
tute the  general  funds  of  the  association.  The 


The  Railways  of  Japan 


143 


disbiirsements  for  the  succour  of  injured  and 
aged  members,  or  the  families  of  deceased  mem- 
bers, are  met  with  the  said  funds.  This  asso- 
ciation is  most  effective  in  its  working,  and  its 
membership  includes  100,000  out  of  the  110,000 
employees  of  the  Government  Railways. 

By  the  foregoing  methods  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment Railways  are  trying  to  secure  efficient  labour 
and  utiHze  experience  and  practical  knowledge 
to  the  highest  possible  degree,  and  their  efforts 
are  year  in  year  out  bearing  fruit  in  furnishing  the 
railways  with  that  vital  energ}^  which,  in  co-opera- 
with  the  mechanical  perfection  of  railway  appli- 
ances and  equipments,  is  essential  for  the  smooth 
and  efficient  working  of  the  great  system  under 
their  control. 


MR.  YUKICHI  FUKUZAWA  AND  HIS 
MORAL  CODE 

EIKICHI  KAMADA 


[Hon.  Eikichi  Kamada,  president  of  Keio  University,  mem- 
ber of  House  of  Peers,  member  of  Higher  Educational  Council; 
born  1857  at  Wakamatsu;  studied  at  Keio;  was  dean  of  the 
faculty  of  the  Zoshikan  College,  1881-83;  after  his  return  home 
from  Europe  where  he  studied  educational  systems,  he  became 
president  of  Keio  University,  1898;  author  of  Dokuritsu  Jison 
in  which  book  he  expounds  Fukuzawa’s  precept  on  self-respect 
and  independence.] 


Yukichi  Fukuzawa,  “the  Sage  of  Mita,”  as  he 
was  afterward  called  by  his  disciples  and  admirers, 
was  bom  on  the  loth  of  January,  1835,  in  Osaka, 
where  his  father,  Mr.  Hyakusuke  Fukuzawa,  a 
retainer  of  the  Lord  of  the  Nakatsu  clan  in  the 
province  of  Buzen  in  Kiushiu,  lived  with  his 
family  at  the  time.  A samurai  of  culture  and 
unblemished  character,  though  low  in  rank, 
Hyakusuke  Fukuzawa  was  widely  read  in  Chinese 
classics  and  literature.  When  Yukichi,  the  future 
founder  of  the  Keiogijuku,  was  still  an  infant, 
his  parents  moved  to  Nakatsu,  a little  seaport 
town  in  Buzen,  where  the  latter  spent  the  rest  of 
their  quiet,  peaceful  days.  In  1836,  his  father 

144 


Fukuzavva’s  Moral  Code 


145 


died,  leaving  him,  a child  of  only  eighteen  months, 
to  the  tender  care  of  his  widowed  mother.  As 
the  boy  became  older  he  exhibited  unusual  interest 
as  well  as  talent  for  foreign  languages.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1854,  he  went  to  Nagasaki  to  study  the 
Dutch  language;  but  in  the  following  year  he 
returned  to  Osaka  and  became  a pupil  of  the  cele- 
brated physician  Koan  Ogata,  under  whom  he 
continued  the  study  of  the  language  and  soon  dis- 
tinguished himself  as  one  of  his  brightest  students. 

In  1858,  young  Fukuzawa  came  to  Edo  (Tokyo) 
and  began  to  devote  himself  to  the  dissemination 
of  the  knowledge  he  had  thus  far  acquired  of  the 
Dutch  language  by  opening  a school  in  the  grounds 
of  the  residence  of  Lord  Okudaira  of  Buzen  at 
Teppozu.  It  was  during  the  very  same  year  that 
Japan  concluded  treaties  with  five  foreign  powers 
and  made  a forward  move  to  come  into  close 
contact  with  Western  civilization.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  the  future  “Sage  of  Mita”  went  one  day 
to  Yokohama,  which  had  just  been  opened  to 
foreign  trade,  and  there  met  for  the  first  time  some 
English-speaking  people,  in  conversation  with 
whom  his  knowledge  of  Dutch  was  of  no  avail. 
He  at  once  made  up  his  mind  to  devote  his  entire 
energy  to  the  study  of  the  English  language,  the 
acquisition  of  which,  he  perceived,  would  be  of 
great  importance  to  himself  and  his  country.  It 
seemed  impossible  at  the  time  for  him  to  engage 
a teacher  of  English ; but  on  hearing  that  an  inter- 
preter of  EngHsh  was  in  the  service  of  the  Toku- 


10 


146.  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


gawa  Government,  he  went  and  persuaded  the 
man  to  teach  him.  Various  difficulties,  however, 
prevented  him  from  making  satisfactory  progress 
in  his  lessons.  Then  deciding  to  study  the  lan- 
guage without  a teacher,  he  finally  succeeded  in 
acquiring  a good  knowledge  of  it  with  the  help  of 
an  English-Dutch  dictionary,  which  he  was  fortu- 
nate enough  to  come  across  in  Yokohama;  and 
he  became  the  first  Japanese  scholar  to  study 
things  Western  through  the  Enghsh  language. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Yukichi 
Fukuzawa  sailed  for  the  United  States  of  America 
in  the  suite  of  Kimura  Settsu-no-kami,  who  was 
despatched  thither  by  the  Tokugawa  Government. 

Two  years  later,  in  1861,  he  once  more  left  home 
for  Europe,  this  time  on  an  official  mission  to  make 
literary  researches  in  England,  Holland,  Prussia, 
and  Portugal.  Returning  the  next  year,  he  busied 
himself  in  translating  and  pubhshing  many  books 
he  had  brought  home.  Again,  in  1867,  he  went  to 
America.  These  foreign  travels  gave  Mr.  Fuku- 
zawa an  insight  into  the  significance  of  the  spread 
of  education  in  the  West  that  was  of  immense 
value  to  him  in  his  later  life.  During  his  last 
travel  in  America,  however,  Mr.  Fukuzawa  in- 
curred the  displeasure  of  his  superiors,  because 
he  had  shown  little  sympathy  with  the  poHcy  of 
the  Tokugawa  Government,  and,  on  his  return, 
he  was  ordered  by  the  Secretary  of  Foreign 
Affairs  to  confine  himself  in  his  own  residence  as 
punishment  for  his  insubordination.  This  involim- 


Fukuzavva’s  Moral  Code 


147 


tary  confinement  affording  him  leisure,  he  devoted 
all  his  time  to  teaching  and  to  literary  work.  It 
was  about  this  time  that  he  named  his  school  after 
the  Keio  Era  (1865-1867)  and  called  it  “Keiogi- 
juku”  or  “Keio  Free  School,”  a name  with  which 
his  own  will  always  be  associated. 

It  is  impossible,  in  a short  sketch  like  this,  to 
attempt  to  give  even  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  this 
great  teacher’s  influence  on,  and  share  in,  the 
building  up  of  modem  Japan.  It  is,  indeed,  no 
exaggeration  to  say  that  most  of  the  leading  men  of 
Japan  to-day  either  received  their  education  in 
Mr.  Fukuzawa’s  school  or  benefited  from  the 
perusal  and  study  of  the  books  Mr.  Fukuzawa 
had  written  and  published. 

His  publications,  which  bristled  with  liberal 
ideas  and  were  widely  read,  had  great  influence 
in  moulding  the  minds  of  the  people  in  those  days. 
He  was  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  opening,  at  an 
early  date,  of  a national  assembly,  and  was  a 
resolute  opponent  of  those  ancient  customs  that 
tended  to  hinder  the  progress  of  the  nation.  He 
was  the  first  Japanese  scholar  who  recognized  the 
rights  of  women  and  endeavoured  to  rai.se  their 
social  position.  Later  in  his  life  he  published  his 
Moral  Code  to  teach  the  principle  of  independence 
and  self-respect,  which  has  since  become  the 
motto  of  the  Keiogijuku. 

In  1861,  at  the  age  of  27,  he  married  Miss  Kin 
Toki,  and  three  years  later  his  son  Ichitaro,  who 
is  now  the  Chancellor  of  the  Keiogijuku,  was  bom, 


148  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


followed  by  several  other  sons  and  daughters. 
After  forty  years  of  active  and  fmitful  life,  “the 
Sage  of  Mita”  passed  away  in  February,  1901. 

fukuzawa’s  “moral  code” 

In  the  following  pages  is  given  an  exact  reproduc- 
tion of  the  recognized  English  translation  of  Mr. 
Fukuzawa’s  Moral  Code,  which  was  referred  to  in 
the  preceding  short  account  of  his  life.  The  Code 
embodies  the  fundamental  principles  of  education 
that  guide  and  stimulate  the  members  of  the 
teaching-staff  of  the  institution  in  their  daily 
work  of  upbuilding  the  character,  and  of  develop- 
ing the  intellect,  of  students  who  come  imder  their 
care  and  instruction. 

1.  It  is  the  universal  duty  of  man  to  raise  his 
personal  dignity  and  to  develop  his  moral  and 
intellectual  faculties  to  their  uttermost  capacity, 
never  to  be  contented  with  the  degree  of  develop- 
ment already  attained,  but  ever  to  press  forward 
to  higher  attainments.  We  urge  it,  therefore,  as 
a duty  upon  all  those  who  hold  the  same  convic- 
tions as  ourselves  to  endeavour  in  all  things  to 
discharge  their  full  di  ty  as  men,  laying  to  heart 
the  principle  of  independence  and  self-respect,  as 
the  leading  tenets  of  moral  Hfe. 

2.  Whosoever  perfectly  realizes  the  principle 
of  independence  both  of  mind  and  body,  and, 
paying  due  respect  to  his  own  person,  preserves 


A 


Fukuzawa’s  Moral  Code 


149 


his  dignity  unblemished, — him  we  call  a man  of 
independence  and  self-respect. 

3.  The  true  source  of  independence  of  life  is 
to  eat  one’s  bread  in  the  sweat  of  one’s  brow.  A 
man  of  independence  and  self-respect  should  be  a 
self -helping  and  self-supporting  man. 

4.  Strength  of  body  and  soundness  of  health 
are  requisites  of  life.  We  should,  therefore,  al- 
ways take  care  to  keep  mind  and  body  active  and 
well,  and  to  refrain  from  any  action  or  course  of 
life  likely  to  prove  injurious  to  our  health. 

5.  It  is  man’s  duty  to  live  out  the  whole  of  his 
allotted  span  of  life.  To  take  one’s  own  life,  for 
whatever  reasons,  or  under  whatever  circumstances 
is  an  unreasonable  and  cowardly  act,  altogether 
abominable  and  entirely  unworthy  of  the  principle 
of  independence  and  self-respect. 

6.  To  realize  the  principle  of  independence 
and  self-respect  demands  nothing  short  of  an 
audacious,  active,  and  dauntless  spirit.  It  re- 
quires a combination  in  a man’s  character  of 
courage  with  fortitude. 

7.  A man  of  independence  and  self-respect 
should  not  be  dependent  upon  others  for  the 
determination  of  his  own  conduct.  He  should  be 
intelligent  enough  to  think  and  judge  for  himself. 

8.  To  treat  women  as  though  they  were  in- 
ferior to  men  is  a barbarous  custom.  Men  and 
women  belonging  to  a civilized  society  should  love 
and  respect  one  another  as  equals,  each  sex  realiz- 
ing its  own  independence  and  self-respect. 


150  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


9.  Inasmuch  as  marriage  is  one  of  the  most 
serious  events  in  hmnan  life,  great  caution  should 
be  observed  in  the  choice  of  a partner  for  life. 
All  human  relations  have  their  origin  in  marriage, 
in  the  loving  and  respectful  cohabitation,  till 
death  comes  to  separate  them,  of  husband  and 
wife,  neither  of  whom  should  interfere  with  the 
independence  and  self-respect  of  the  other. 

10.  Such  husbands  and  wives  maintain  to- 
wards their  offspring  a relation  which  is  both  full 
of  hope  and  natural,  since  there  are  no  extraneous 
elements  introduced  into  the  family  and  since 
parents  and  children  are  wholly  and  exclusively 
each  the  other’s  own.  The  love  that  binds  them 
together  is  sincere  and  pure,  and  the  keeping  of 
this  love  imimpaired  is  the  foimdation  of  domestic 
happiness. 

11.  Children,  also,  should  be  trained  to  be- 
come persons  of  independence  and  self-respect, 
it  being  the  duty  of  parents  to  take  charge  of  the 
proper  bringing-up  of  their  children  so  long  as 
they  remain  in  infancy.  Children,  for  their  part, 
should  yield  due  obedience  to  their  parents,  and 
make  every  effort  to  fit  themselves  to  become 
persons  of  independence  and  self-respect  when 
the  time  comes  for  them  to  step  out  into  the 
world. 

12.  The  ideal  person  of  independence  and 
self-respect  deems  it  incumbent  on  himself  to  go 
on  learning  even  to  his  old  age,  and  never  to  allow 
either  the  development  of  the  intellect  or  the 


Fukuzawa’s  Moral  Code 


151 

cultivation  of  the  moral  character  to  slacken  or 
cease. 

13.  Society  having  both  individuals  and  fami- 
lies as  its  units,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  foundation  of  a healthy  society  is  to  be  found 
in  the  independence  and  self-respect  of  the  family 
as  well  as  of  the  individual. 

14.  The  only  w^ay  in  which  social  life  can  con- 
tinue is  for  each  individual  to  keep  unimpaired 
his  or  her  own  independence  and  self-respect  as 
well  as  that  of  others.  This  may  be  done  by 
respecting  the  rights  and  happiness  of  others  at  the 
same  time  that  we  seek  our  own  happiness  and 
protect  our  own  rights. 

15.  To  harbour  resentment  and  to  seek  re- 
venge is  another  barbarous  and  cruel  practice, 
a relic  of  the  Dark  Ages.  We  should  employ 
only  just  and  upright  means  for  clearing  ourselves 
from  shame  or  vindicating  our  honour. 

16.  Every  man  should  be  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  of  his  vocation.  He,  who, 
regardless  of  the  importance  of  the  trusts  com- 
mitted to  him,  neglects  his  responsibilities,  is 
unworthy  to  be  called  a man  of  independence  and 
self-respect. 

17.  Treat  others  with  trustfulness.  If  you 
trust  others,  they  will  trust  you  in  return.  It  is 
this  mutual  confidence  alone  that  can  enable 
independence  and  self-respect  to  be  realized  in 
ourselves  or  in  others. 

18.  Courtesy  and  etiquette  are  necessary  to 


152  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


the  continuance  of  social  life.  They  should  be 
observed  strictly,  and  yet  with  moderation. 

19.  It  is  an  act  of  humanity,  and  one  of  the 
highest  of  human  virtues,  to  strive  to  extend  to 
others  that  love  which  we  feel  ourselves,  to  lighten 
the  burdens,  and  promote  the  happiness,  of  our 
fellow-men. 

20.  Humanity  should  not  be  limited  towards 
human  beings  only.  It  should  prevent  men  from 
treating  animals  with  cruelty,  and  make  them 
refrain  from  needlessly  taking  the  Hves  of  fellow- 
creatures. 

21.  Since  a taste  for  art  and  literature  elevates 
the  character  as  well  as  delights  the  mind,  and 
since  it  contributes  indirectly  to  the  peace  and 
happiness  of  mankind,  its  acquirement  should  be 
deemed  an  object  of  the  greatest  importance  for 
human  life. 

22.  Wherever  there  is  a country,  there  is  a 
government.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  government  to 
administer  the  country,  to  establish  and  maintain 
military  power,  to  protect  the  people  of  the  land, 
and  to  guarantee  to  the  individual  citizen  the 
inviolability  of  life,  property,  honour,  and  liberty. 
In  return  for  these  benefits,  it  is  the  duty  of  the 
citizens  to  give  military  service  and  to  contribute 
to  the  expenses  of  the  nation. 

23.  If  citizens  are  under  obligation  to  serve  in 
the  national  army  and  to  pay  their  share  of  the 
national  expenses,  it  is  also,  naturally,  the  duty 
and  privilege  to  have  a voice  in  the  legis- 


Fukuzawa’s  Moral  Code 


153 


lation  and  a right  to  control  the  government 
expenditure. 

24.  Citizens  of  Japan,  of  either  sex,  should 
never  forget  their  supreme  duty  to  maintain 
their  national  independence  and  self-respect, 
against  all  foes,  and  at  the  sacrifice  of  even  life 
and  property. 

25.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  citizen,  not  only  to 
obey  the  laws  himself,  but  to  see  that  others  obey 
them  likewise,  for  this  is  necessary  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  peace  and  order  of  society. 

26.  The  number  of  nations  in  the  world  is  by 
no  means  small,  and  they  differ  from  us  in  religion, 
language,  colour,  and  customs.  Yet  they  are  our 
brothers.  In  our  intercourse  with  them  there 
should  be  no  partiality,  and  no  attempt  at  swag- 
gering or  boastfulness.  Such  conduct  only  leads 
us  to  despise  other  people,  and  is  wholly  at  vari- 
ance with  the  principle  of  independence  and  self- 
respect. 

27.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  men  living  to-day  to 
improve  the  civilization  and  happiness  which 
they  have  received  from  their  forefathers  and  so 
to  hand  them  down  unimpaired  to  their  posterity. 

28.  It  is  natural  that  men  should  be  born  into 
the  world  with  varying  degrees  of  intellectual  and 
physical  strength.  It  is  the  province  of  education 
to  increase  the  number  of  the  wise  and  strong, 
and  to  diminish  that  of  the  weak  and  foolish.  In 
short,  education  instructs  men  in  the  principle 
of  independence  and  self-respect,  and  enables 


154  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


them  to  form  plans  for  putting  the  principle  into 
practice. 

29.  Those  who  share  our  convictions,  whether 
men  or  women,  will  do  well  to  lay  these  teachings 
to  heart.  They  should  also  strive  to  spread  them 
throughout  society  at  large,  and  thus  to  advance, 
hand  in  hand  with  the  whole  people,  towards 
the  stage  of  the  greatest  happiness. 


THE  ETHICAL  PROBLEMS  OF  NEW  JAPAN 

KAJINOSUKE  I BUKA 

[Rev.  Dr.  Kajinosuke  Ibuka,  president  of  the  Meiji  Gakuin 
(a  mission  college),  ex-president  of  the  Tokyo  Y.  M.  C.  A.; 
bom,  1854,  at  Wakamatsu;  he  was  graduated  from  the  Tokyo 
Union  Seminary  School  in  1879  and  took  post-graduate  studies 
at  the  Union  Seminary  School,  New  York;  also  studied  at 
Princeton  and  Rutgers;  in  1876,  was  made  a pastor  of  the  Koji- 
machi  Church,  Tokyo;  in  1881,  was  appointed  professor  at 
the  Tokyo  Union  Seminary  School;  in  1886,  vice-president 
of  the  Meiji  Gakuin;  in  1891,  president  of  the  same;  in  1895, 
was  a delegate  of  the  Japan  Y.  M.  C.  A.  to  the  International 
Y.  M.  C . A.  Conference  held  in  U.  S.  A.;  in  1910, a delegate  of 
the  Christian  Churches  in  Japan  to  the  International  Christian 
Conference,  Edinburgh.] 


Japan  to-day  is  confronted  with  many  questions 
which  are  taxing  the  power  of  her  statesmen  to  the 
utmost — questions  political,  financial,  industrial, 
and  social.  But  that  is  not  all.  She  is  also  face 
to  face  with  great  moral  problems. 

With  the  influx  of  Western  thought,  not  only 
have  the  ethical  maxims  that  ruled  the  life  of  old 
Japan  to  a great  extent  lost  their  former  power  of 
command,  but  the  foundations  of  the  old  systems 
have  been  shaken  and  new  foundations  have  not 
yet  been  securely  laid. 


135 


156  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


The  situation  is  one  that  of  necessity  occasions 
grave  concern  to  Japanese  statesmen  and  educa- 
tors, and  to  all  thoughtful  men  who  have  at  heart 
the  highest  welfare  of  Japan.  For  it  is  a truism 
of  history  that  a nation  morally  unsound  is  de- 
cadent, whatever  may  be  its  wealth  or  military 
power. 

In  order  to  get  a clear  understanding  of  the 
present  situation,  it  is  necessary,  first,  to  take  a 
bird’s-eye  view  of  the  ethical  teachings  and  influ- 
ences that  were  controlling  forces  in  old  Japan. 
These  were  Shinto,  Buddhism,  and  Confucianism 
as  modified  by  Bushido. 

I.  Shinto. 

Shinto  (the  way  of  the  Gods)  is  the  original 
ethnic  religion  of  Japan.  In  general  it  may  be 
described  as  a code  of  ceremonies  based  upon 
primitive  legends  and  traditions.  It  emphasizes 
ceremonial  purity  and  ancestral  worship  as  a 
part  of  filial  obedience.  It  has  also  had  great 
influence  in  forming  the  spirit  of  loyalty  to  Japan 
and  the  Emperor.  But  it  cannot  be  said  to  have 
a system  of  ethics.  This,  in  fact,  was  the  boast  of 
Moto-ori,  the  great  advocate  of  pure  Shinto. 
“Systems  of  morals,”  he  says,  “were  invented  by 
the  Chinese,  because  the  Chinese  are  a people 
without  morals.  But  in  Japan  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  a system  of  morals ; for  every  Japanese  will 
do  right,  if  only  he  consults  his  own  heart.” 


Ethical  Problems  of  New  Japan  157 


This  judgment  is  by  no  means  confirmed  by 
history;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  should  be  said 
that  Shinto  has  profoundly  impressed  upon  the 
people  of  Japan  the  behef  that  the  gods  of  heaven 
and  earth  are  watching  the  conduct  of  men,  and 
that  they  reward  good  deeds  with  good,  and  follow 
evil  deeds  with  evil. 

II.  Buddhism. 

Buddhism  entered  Japan  in  the  sixth  century, 
and  has  had  a far  greater  influence  than  Shinto  in 
moulding  the  moral  view  and  ethical  ideals  of  the 
people.  Its  pessimistic  conception  of  life  has  also 
impressed  itself  on  art  and  literature.  This  is  the 
explanation  of  the  minor  tone  so  characteristic 
of  Japanese  poetry  and  music. 

To  Buddhism  the  world  is  evil  and  life  an  illu- 
sion. It  therefore  seeks  to  turn  men’s  thought 
away  from  the  vain  and  fleeting  show  of  this 
world  to  the  bliss  of  the  other  world  where  reigns 
the  Eternal  Calm,  and  where  the  ego  is  absorbed 
in  the  changeless  Nirvana.  This  “ other- worldli- 
ness” is  the  gospel  of  Buddhism.  But  in  ethical 
teaching  Buddhism  is  notably  weak.  It  is  true 
that  its  great  founder  taught  compassion  and 
mercy  and  forbearance;  but  in  listening  to  its 
teachings  one  Hstens  in  vain  for  a ringing  tone  of 
righteousness.  The  clear  call  to  duty  that  marked 
the  Hebrew  prophets  is  altogether  missing. 

Buddhism  has  much  to  say  about  the  way  of 


158  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


escape  from  this  evil  world,  which  it  likens  to  “a 
house  on  fire” ; but  little  to  say  about  making  this 
world  better  or  putting  out  the  fire.  Not  how  to 
live  in  the  world,  but  how  to  get  out  of  it,  is  the 
message  of  Buddhism;  and  what  rules  for  disci- 
pline it  has  are  not  for  men  as  men,  but  rather 
for  those  who  have  “left  the  world  behind  them.” 
In  fact  Buddhism  is  a religion  for  death,  rather  than 
a religion  for  hfe.  When  death  enters  the  house, 
then  and  almost  only  then  comes  also  the  Buddhist 
priest — comes  to  repeat  the  prayers  for  the  dead 
and  to  bury  them. 

Buddhism,  therefore,  has  had  a strong  hold  on 
the  ignorant,  inspiring  them  with  a fear  for  the 
past  and  an  expectation  of  future  bliss;  but  it  has 
had  but  little  place  as  a system  of  morals  for  the 
life  that  now  is,  and  but  little  moral  influence  upon 
the  educated  class  of  Japan. 

III.  Confucianism. 

By  far  the  most  powerful  ethical  factor  in  old 
Japan  was  Confucianism. 

If  the  chief  characteristic  of  Buddhism  is  ‘‘other- 
worldliness, ” that  of  Confucianism  is  ‘‘this- 
worldliness.”  As  to  the  other  world  Confucianism 
is  purely  agnostic.  ‘‘We  know  not  life.  How 
then  can  we  know  death?”  said  Confucius.  But 
the  teachings  of  Confucius  have  profoundly 
influenced  Japan  in  its  principles  of  government, 
law,  and  life.  ‘‘Before  Confucius,  no  Confucius; 


Ethical  Problems  of  New  Japan  159 


since  Confucius,  no  Confucius.”  This  familiar 
epigram  accurately  expresses  the  admiration  in 
which  the  great  Chinese  sage  was  held  in  old 
Japan.  His  was  a Bible  devoutly  studied,  and 
its  teachings  were  made  the  rules  of  daily  life. 
The  authority  of  Confucius  was  final. 

And  yet  this  statement  must  be  qualified.  In 
Japan  Confucianism  was  modified  by  Bushido, 
a product  of  Japanese  soil.  In  the  Confucianism 
of  China,  the  first  virtue  and  root  of  all  other 
virtues  was  filial  piety;  in  Japan,  it  was  loyalty 
to  the  feudal  lord  or  the  Emperor.  In  China,  the 
scholar  and  learning  took  the  first  place ; in  feudal 
Japan,  the  samurai  and  the  sword,  though  learn- 
ing was  also  held  in  reverence. 

But  within  the  last  fifty  years  a great  change  has 
taken  place.  Confucius  is  no  longer  the  great 
master;  he  is  merely  a Chinese  philosopher.  His 
teachings  are  no  longer  authoritative  but  merely 
wise  teachings;  wise  sayings,  no  doubt,  but  anti- 
quated and  quite  inapplicable  to  the  conditions 
of  modem  life.  More  than  once  feeble  attempts 
have  been  made  to  restore  Confucianism  to  its 
old  place,  but  they  have  all  failed.  Like  other 
systems,  it  ‘‘has  had  its  day.” 

The  knell  of  both  Buddhism  and  Confucianism 
was  stmck  when  the  government  of  the  Shogun  fell. 
Under  lyeyasu  and  his  successors,  Confucianism 
was  orthodoxy  in  morals  and  Buddhism  was  the 
established  religion ; and  they  have  never  recovered 
what  they  lost  in  prestige  and  authority  when  the 


i6o  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


Shogunate  passed.  This  is  unquestionably  true, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  some  of  the  Bud- 
dhist sects  have  exhibited  remarkable  activity  and 
somewhat  regained  their  hold  upon  the  unedu- 
cated classes;  and  it  may  fairly  be  said  that  a few 
intelligent  men  took  to  Buddhism  as  an  ethical 
force  able  to  grapple  with  the  social  and  moral 
problems  of  modem  Japan.  With  the  Restoration 
of  the  Emperor,  Shinto,  which  had  been  repressed 
by  the  Shoguns  as  unfavourable  to  their  authority, 
rose  in  influence,  and  came  to  be  regarded  as  in 
a sense  the  established  religion.  But,  as  already 
said,  Shinto  is  not  properly  speaking  a system  of 
ethics.  It  remains  a cult ; a cult  of  ancestral  wor- 
ship and  traditional  ceremonies.  Apart  from 
giving  a new  influence  to  loyalty,  it  is  far  from 
meeting  the  ethical  demands  of  the  day. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  Confucianism, 
Bushido,  and  Shinto  combined  have  produced 
types  of  men  of  whom  Japan  is  rightly  proud. 
Statesmen  like  Okubo  and  Ito  who  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  progress  of  Japan  and  sacrificed  their 
lives  for  it;  soldiers  like  General  Nogi,  the  hero  of 
Port  Arthur,  whose  tragic  death  the  nation  still 
mourns;  sailors  like  Admiral  Togo,  of  whose 
character  it  is  unnecessary  to  speak ; and  himdreds 
of  others  less  famed  but  of  like  quality.  But  the 
times  are  changed.  “New  occasions  teach  new 
duties.  Time  makes  ancient  good  uncouth.’’ 
And  to  meet  the  demands  of  new  Japan  new  ethical 
ideals  and  sanctions  are  required. 


Ethical  Problems  of  New  Japan  i6i 


Japan  has  remodelled  its  laws  after  the  principles 
of  Western  law,  adopted  the  education  of  the  West, 
and  established  a constitutional  form  of  govern- 
ment. But  hitherto  most,  even  among  those  who 
have  been  foremost  as  advocates  of  the  civilization 
of  the  West,  have  failed  clearly  to  see  the  need  of 
ethical  reform.  But  now  among  thoughtful  men 
the  conviction  is  growing  that  this  is  a pressing 
necessity.  With  much  that  is  of  value  in  the  old 
systems  of  morals,  more  and  more  their  inadequacy 
is  becoming  manifest.  Bushido — the  way  of  the 
soldier — was  a child  of  feudalism.  It  is  altogether 
local  and  limited  in  its  scope.  It  cannot  possibly 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  complex  and  cos- 
mopolitan life  of  new  Japan.  It  “had  its  day”; 
but  that  day  is  passing  or  has  passed. 

What,  then,  are  the  new  ethical  principles  that 
must  be  incorporated  into  the  life  of  new  Japan? 
This  is  a broad  question,  and  can  now  be  considered 
only  in  some  of  its  more  important  and  obvious 
aspects. 

The  fundamental  need  is  a new  ideal  of  man; 
a new  ideal  of  man  both  as  an  individual  and  as  a 
member  of  society. 

According  to  Bushido,  the  ideal  man  was  the 
samurai  or  knight;  and  his  symbol  was  the  sword. 

“As  the  cherry  blossom 
Is  fairest  among  flowers 
So  is  the  samurai 
Noblest  among  men.” 


II  O 


i62  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


So  wrote  the  Japanese  poet,  and  so  the  people 
beheved. 

To  the  samurai,  the  sum  of  human  virtue  was 
soldierly  courage,  and  devotion  to  his  feudal  lord; 
and  the  possession  of  these  qualities  gave  to  him 
a certain  nobility  of  character.  But  courage  in 
war  and  loyalty  are  not  everything.  To  the 
samurai,  man  as  man  was  nothing.  The  peasant 
or  tradesman  who  insulted  him  he  would  cut 
down  on  the  spot.  So  much  importance  did  he 
attach  to  his  own  honour  and  so  little  to  the  lives 
of  those  below  him  in  rank.  Yet  he  was  “the 
noblest  among  men.” 

Now,  without  controversy,  the  recognition  of 
the  worth  of  man  as  man  without  regard  to  rank 
or  wealth,  is  the  corner-stone  of  all  modem  civiliza- 
tion ; and  a clearer  perception  and  more  thorough- 
going application  of  this  fundamental  tmth  is  the 
first  requisite  in  the  new  ethics  for  Japan. 

The  fundamental  tmth  carries  with  it  a number 
of  corollaries;  among  them  the  dignity  of  woman, 
and  the  limitation  of  parental  authority. 

The  annals  of  Japan  are  full  of  examples  of 
noble  and  heroic  women;  of  women  who  willingly 
endured  hardships,  or  who  sacrificed  their  lives 
in  their  devotion  to  their  husbands  or  fathers  or 
sons  or  feudal  masters;  and  this  may  be  pointed 
to  as  proof  of  the  excellence  of  the  ethical  training 
that  produced  them.  But  there  is  another  side 
to  the  pictrrre. 

The  position  of  woman  in  feudal  days  was  in 


Ethical  Problems  of  New  Japan  163 


many  ways  not  one  to  be  envied.  She  was  sub- 
ject to  the  “Laws  of  the  three  obedience” — as  a 
daughter  to  her  father;  as  a wife  to  her  husband; 
as  a mother  to  her  eldest  son.  For  a trifle  she 
might  be  divorced  without  any  right  of  appeal. 
It  would  not  be  true  to  say  that  the  position  of 
woman  in  old  Japan  was  a degraded  one.  Her 
sphere  of  activity  was  strictly  confined  to  the  house- 
hold. She  had  little  to  do  with  the  business  of 
men;  but  she  enjoyed  far  greater  freedom  and 
respect  than  her  sisters  in  some  countries  of  the 
Orient.  But,  as  has  been  said,  in  many  ways  her 
position  was  that  of  an  inferior.  So  far  as  the 
legal  standing  of  woman  to-day  is  concerned  and 
also  as  to  her  education,  a great  change  has  taken 
place.  Nevertheless  it  is  also  true  that  the  old 
ideas  and  the  old  ideals  are  still  present.  What 
is  needed  is  new  ideas  and  new  ideals  of  the  dignity 
and  sacredness  of  womanhood  to  be  present 
throughout  society  and  dominant. 

The  same  thing  may  be  said  with  regard  to  the 
limitation  of  parental  authority.  In  Confucian- 
ism, obedience  to  parents  is  the  cardinal  virtue 
and  root  of  all  other  virtues;  and  while  in  Bushido 
it  did  not  rank  with  loyalty,  it  knew  no  other 
superior.  The  daughter  who  sold  herself  to  a Hfe 
of  infamy  to  reheve  her  father  in  financial  embar- 
rassment was  a model  of  virtue;  and  even  to-day 
there  are  those  who  would  regard  such  action 
praiseworthy. 

Legally  speaking,  there  is  in  this  particular 


1 64  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


now  no  essential  difference  between  Japan  and 
the  West.  But  the  letter  of  the  law,  without  its 
animating  spirit,  is  not  enough.  What  is  also 
needed  in  Japan  is  a new  and  clear  perception  of 
personality  with  all  its  implications  as  it  is  con- 
ceived in  the  West,  where  civilization  has  been 
moulded  under  the  influence  of  Christian  principles. 

Such  a conception  of  personality  necessarily 
raises  the  question  of  the  relation  of  the  individual 
to  the  state. 

As  already  said,  the  cardinal  Japanese  virtue 
is  loyalty  to  Japan  and  the  Emperor.  A Japanese 
who  is  not  ready  to  die  for  these  is  no  Japanese. 
This  is  the  teaching  of  Bushido,  and  the  general 
sentiment  of  the  people.  The  history  of  Japan 
is  so  full  of  examples  and  instances  illustrative  of 
this  that  it  need  not  be  dwelt  upon.  Nor  is  it 
necessary  as  an  element  in  national  character. 
But  along  with  this  emphasis  upon  the  state  there 
has  been  a proportionate  negligence  of  emphasis 
upon  the  individual.  The  state  has  been  every- 
thing, the  individual  nothing. 

The  national  constitution,  guaranteeing  freedom 
of  faith,  and  the  new  codes  of  law  promulgated 
during  the  reign  of  the  late  Emperor,  have  given 
to  the  individual  legal  rights  never  possessed 
before.  But  the  old  ideal  still  pervades  Japanese 
thought.  There  are  still  Japanese  scholars  who 
contend  that  freedom  of  religion  and  loyalty  are 
not  really  compatible.  Here  again,  therefore,  the 
letter  of  the  law  is  not  enough.  What  is  also 


Ethical  Problems  of  New  Japan  165 


needed  is  a nation-wide  perception  of  the  principle 
embodied  in  the  constitution  and  the  laws — of  the 
place  and  the  rights  of  man  as  man. 

To  recapitulate : Japan  is  still  in  a state  of 
transition  politically,  socially,  industrially;  and 
most  of  all  ethically  and  religiously.  The  old 
religions  and  most  sanctions  are  losing  or  have  lost 
their  hold  on  the  more  intelHgent  of  the  people, 
and  the  new  generation  is  in  danger  of  falling  into 
skepticism,  materiahsm,  and  atheism.  Sociahsm 
also,  of  an  extreme  type,  is  finding  its  advocates. 

Japan,  therefore,  is  in  need  of  new  ethical  and 
spiritual  ideals.  But  ideals  alone  will  not  avail. 
A new  power  is  needed : a living,  transforming 
power.  Where  is  this  to  be  obtained? 

The  cry  has  been  that  what  Japan  needs  is 
knowledge;  and  Japan  has  sought  for  knowledge 
far  and  wide,  sought  it  eagerly.  It  has  now  a 
system  of  education  that  will  bear  comparison 
with  that  of  any  nation  of  the  West.  Ninety- 
eight  per  cent,  of  the  children  are  attending  school; 
and  during  the  past  fifty  years  the  progress  of 
people  in  knowledge  has  been  immense.  But  there 
is  no  moral  advance  keeping  pace  wdth  the  intel- 
lectual. The  people  know  far  more  than  their 
fathers  know,  but  they  do  not  do  better.  Some- 
times it  seems  as  if  they  were  doing  worse.  The 
experience  of  fifty  years  has  made  it  clear  that 
knowledge  alone  can  not  moralize  the  nation. 

Others  have  declared  the  panacea  to  be  constitu- 
tional government;  others  have  proclaimed  the 


i66  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


gospel  of  wealth;  and  philosophy  has  had  its 
preachers.  But  thoughtful  practical  men  are 
coming  to  see  that  something  more  than  the  mere 
cultivation  of  the  intellect,  or  constitutional 
government,  or  material  prosperity,  is  necessary 
for  the  national  ethical  well-being. 

That  is  the  real  significance  of  the  so-called 
Conference  of  the  Three  Religions  held  last  year 
by  the  Minister  of  Home  Affairs.  The  purpose 
of  the  conference  was  to  give  expression  to  the 
conviction  of  men  in  authority  that  religion  is 
essential  in  the  life  of  a nation,  and  to  call  upon 
those  professing  religion  to  remember  their  re- 
sponsibilities; and  the  fact  that  Christians  were 
included  among  the  representatives  composing 
the  conference  was  public  recognition  of  Chris- 
tianity as  one  of  the  religions  of  Japan.  Shinto, 
Buddhism,  Confucianism,  have  all  been  tried  and 
found  wanting.  Christianity  is  now  challenged 
to  prove  its  worth ; and  a challenge  to  Christianity 
is  a challenge  to  Christians  to  show  themselves 
worthy  in  word  and  in  deed. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  JAPANESE  EDUCATION 


MASATARO  SAWAYANAGI 


[Mr.  Masataro  Sawayanagi,  president  of  Kyoto  Imperial  Uni- 
versity; bom  in  Matsumoto,  May,  1865;  was  graduated  from 
Tokyo  Imperial  University,  i888;  in  1890,  he  became  secretary 
in  the  Department  of  Education;  1893-95,  principal  of 
the  Honganji  Middle  School;  1897,  became  director  of  the 
Second  Higher  School;  next  year,  was  transferred  to  the  post  of 
director  of  the  First  Higher  School;  then  became  director  of 
the  Ordinary  Education  Bureau;  1902,  delegate  to  the  World’s 
Oriental  Conference,  Berlin;  1906,  he  became  Vice-Minister 
of  Education;  1910,  director  of  the  Tokyo  Higher  Commercial 
School;  was  appointed  to  his  present  post,  April,  1911.  He  is 
the  author  of  several  books  on  education.] 

Japanese  education  of  to-day  is  based  upon  the 
spirit  of  old  Japan,  upon  which  is  built  an  educa- 
tional structure  for  which  the  best  parts  of  the 
European  and  the  American  educational  methods 
have  been  added  as  building  materials.  The 
Japanese  are  a people  with  peculiar  characteristics. 
But  we  are  not  slow  in  taking  lessons  from  other 
peoples.  Within  less  than  fifty  years,  since  the 
Restoration  of  1868,  we  have  been  industrious  in 
importing  the  essence  of  European  and  American 
civilization. 

We  have  learned  from  America  many  lessons  in 

167 


1 68  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


educational  methods.  An  American  educator, 
Dr.  David  Motley,  was  engaged  by  the  Japanese 
Government  in  the  early  part  of  the  Meiji  era  as 
our  educational  adviser,  and  we  made  many 
improvements  in  our  educational  methods  at  his 
suggestion.  We  have  learned  many  lessons  from 
the  systematic  educational  methods  of  France. 
From  England  we  are  learning  much  from  her 
educational  policy  of  bringing  up  men  of  gentle- 
manly character.  In  these  ten  or  more  years,  we 
have  noticed  the  remarkable  development  of 
German  educational  methods,  and  we  are  now 
learning  many  lessons  from  Germany.  We  have 
of  late  years  sent  a large  number  of  men  to  Europe 
and  America  to  investigate  the  methods  and 
science  of  education.  At  the  same  time,  we  have 
translated  into  Japanese  many  books  on  education 
published  in  Europe  and  America,  and  new  ideas 
and  opinions  advanced  abroad  have  promptly 
been  communicated  for  the  use  'of  Japanese 
educators.  While  we  are  busily  engaged  in 
importing  good  things  from  foreign  coimtries, 
we  are  not  foolish  enough  to  forget  the  beautiful 
characteristics  original  with  Japan.  Below  I shall 
enumerate  a few  of  om  characteristics. 

THE  ESSENCE  OF  EDUCATION  IS  MORAL  TRAINING 

The  first  characteristic  of  Japanese  education 
is  that  we  lay  special  stress  upon  moral  training. 
In  the  period  of  the  Restoration,  when  we  began 


The  Spirit  of  Japanese  Education  169 


to  communicate  with  various  foreign  countries, 
and  recognized  the  superiority  of  the  Western 
nations  in  material  civilization  and  developments, 
we  realized  that  it  was  for  our  own  interest  to 
take  a few  lessons  from  the  West  in  matters  of 
modem  science.  We  even  went  so  far  as  to  invite 
the  criticism  that  we  had  forgotten  moral  training. 
But  the  fundamental  educational  idea  of  moral 
training  remained  firmly  fixed  in  the  mind  of  the 
people.  At  one  time  our  moral  faith  passed 
through  a period  of  instability  on  account  of  the 
introduction  of  new  ideas  from  the  West  and  from 
Christianity.  But  in  1890  the  famous  Imperial 
Rescript  on  Education  was  issued  to  the  schools 
and  the  people.  The  schools  and  the  teachers 
found  in  this  edict  the  ideal  of  moral  training. 
That  edict  was  framed  with  the  original  Japanese 
ideas  of  morality  as  its  base,  and  adopting  the 
essential  qualities  of  Western  civilization.  The 
following  translation  may  not  give  the  full  mean- 
ing of  the  original  text  of  the  edict,  but  I shall 
insert  it  for  the  reference  of  the  readers: 

“Know  ye.  Our  subjects: 

“Our  Imperial  Ancestors  founded  Our  Empire 
on  a basis  of  broad  and  everlasting  and  deeply 
and  firmly  implanted  virtue.  Our  subjects,  ever 
united  in  loyalty  and  filial  piety,  have  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  illustrated  the  beauty  thereof. 
This  is  the  glory  of  the  fundamental  character  of 
Our  Empire,  and  herein  also  lies  the  source  of  Our 
education.  Ye,  Our  subjects,  be  filial  to  your 


170  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


parents,  affectionate  to  your  brothers  and  sisters; 
as  husbands  and  wives  be  harmonious,  as  friends 
true ; bear  yourselves  in  modesty  and  moderation ; 
extend  your  benevolence  to  all;  pursue  learning 
and  cultivate  the  arts,  and  thereby  develop  intel- 
lectual faculties  and  perfect  moral  powers ; further- 
more, advance  pubhc  good  and  promote  the 
common  interests ; always  respect  the  Constitution 
and  observe  the  laws.  Should  emergency  arise, 
offer  yourselves  courageously  to  the  State,  and 
thus  guard  and  maintain  the  prosperity  of  Our 
Imperial  Throne  coeval  with  heaven  and  earth. 
So  shall  ye  not  only  be  Our  good  and  faithful  sub- 
jects, but  render  illustrious  the  best  traditions  of 
your  forefathers. 

“The  Way  here  set  forth  is,  indeed,  the  teaching 
bequeathed  by  Our  Imperial  Ancestors,  to  be 
observed  alike  by  Their  Descendants  and  sub- 
jects, infallible  for  all  ages,  and  true  in  all  places. 
It  is  Our  wish  to  lay  it  to  heart  in  all  reverence,  in 
common  with  you.  Our  subjects,  that  we  may  all 
thus  attain  to  the  same  virtue. 

“The  30th  day  of  the  loth  month  of  the 23d 
year  of  Meiji.” 

(Imperial  Sign  Manual.  Imperial  Seal.) 

JAPANESE  education  HAS  NO  CONNECTION  WITH 
RELIGION 

In  the  second  place,  Japanese  education  is  not 
burdened,  as  the  European  and  American,  with 


The  Spirit  of  Japanese  Education  171 


the  problem  of  religious  influence  over  education, 
hloral  training  in  our  schools  is  purely  that  of  the 
actual  world,  and  is  not  connected  with  religion. 
To  be  sure,  the  majority  of  our  people  are  Bud- 
dhists. But  Buddhism  is  preached  in  the  temples, 
and  not  in  schools.  The  students  are  free  to 
engage  in  religious  pursuits  outside  of  the  schools, 
but  in  the  schools  they  are  given  a purely  moral 
training.  Thus  moral  training  occupies  a promi- 
nent position  in  the  schools,  and  our  teachers  are 
taking  pains  to  study  how  best  they  may  apply 
moral  educational  methods.  So  in  Japan  there 
is  no  need  for  such  an  undertaking  as  the  ethical 
movement  that  is  seen  in  Europe  and  America. 
We  are  practising  what  is  preached  in  these  ethical 
movements. 

JAPANESE  EDUCATION  IS  MODERN  AND  PRACTICAL 

In  Japan  the  influence  of  the  Chinese  classics 
was  supreme  for  a thousand  years  or  more.  Even 
to-day  we  use  the  Chinese  characters.  But,  edu- 
cationally, the  old  classics  are  not  considered  as  of 
great  importance.  Modem  science  is  held  in 
higher  esteem.  In  pubhc  schools,  middle  schools, 
schools  for  girls,  etc.,  such  sciences  as  physics, 
chemistry,  the  natural  sciences,  etc.,  are  considered 
very  important.  Until  forty  or  fifty  years  ago 
the  books  by  scholars  were  written  in  the  Chinese 
style  of  composition.  Even  to-day  there  are  many 
Japanese  scholars  who  can  write  Chinese  “compo- 


172  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

sition  ” well.  The  Chinese  composition  is  generally 
held  in  Japan  higher  than  the  Latin  is  in  Europe 
and  America.  Yet  we  do  not  place  Chinese 
composition  in  an  important  position  educationally, 
whereas  the  dead  languages  are  still  held  in  high 
esteem  in  Ettrope  and  America.  Japanese  educa- 
tion is  different  in  that  we  are  modem  and  practical 
to  the  extreme.  Although  Japanese  education 
places  importance  in  modem  science,  yet  up  to  the 
period  of  the  Restoration  our  scientific  knowledge 
was  not  greatly  developed.  So  the  ideas  of  the 
Japanese  to-day  cannot  be  said  to  be  scientific. 
But  I am  of  the  opinion  that  the  sciences  that  are 
held  educationally  in  high  esteem  must  of  neces- 
sity produce  good  results. 

JAPANESE  EDUCATION  IS  RATIONAL  AND 
PROGRESSIVE 

The  Japanese  educational  system  of  to-day  is  not 
bound  by  the  old  system  prevailing  before  the 
Restoration.  It  is  rather  a product  of  the  Euro- 
pean and  the  American  systems  adapted  to  Japan. 
That  is  to  say,  the  Japanese  educational  system 
has  been  created  by  a combination  of  the  different 
systems  to  conform  to  our  ideals.  We  are  not 
fettered  by  traditions  or  conventionalities.  Our 
system  has  been  entirely  reasoned  out.  No 
wonder  that  it  is  rational,  and  also  that  it  is 
progressive,  because,  as  I have  said,  we  are  not 
slow  to  reform  where  reform  is  needed,  as  a result 


The  Spirit  of  Japanese  Education  173 


of  our  endeavour  to  adopt  the  best  that  the  foreign 
nations  can  offer.  Thus,  in  forty  or  fifty  years 
we  have  arrived  at  the  present  condition  of  perfec- 
tion, after  so  many  changes  and  reforms.  If  we 
may  confess  to  one  defect  in  our  system,  it  is  that 
we  have  not  yet  sufficiently  reaped  the  results  of 
our  endeavours.  So  far,  we  have  passed  the 
stage  of  inception,  of  experimenting,  and  of 
endeavour.  We  have  not  yet  entered  the  stage 
of  attaining  the  practical  results.  But  that  can- 
not be  avoided,  since  we  have  not  had  time  enough 
to  attain  them, 

JAPANESE  SCHOOLS  ARE  SYSTEMATICALLY  RELATED 
WITH  ONE  ANOTHER 

If,  as  I have  said,  the  Japanese  educational 
system  has  been  framed  after  much  reasoning, 
then  it  is  natural  that  the  Japanese  schools  are 
systematically  related  with  one  another.  The 
relations  between  the  public  schools  and  the 
middle  schools,  between  the  middle  schools  and 
the  higher  schools,  and  between  the  higher  schools 
and  the  universities,  have  been  established  in  good 
order.  Also,  the  relations  between  various  in- 
dustrial schools  and  the  specialized  schools,  and 
the  public  schools  and  the  middle  schools,  have  been 
established.  In  this  respect,  our  system  may  be 
superior  to  that  of  the  European  schools,  whose 
relations  to  one  another  have  been  a process  of 
growth. 


174  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


JAPANESE  EDUCATION  IS  DEMOCRATIC 

Japan  is  an  old  country  and  has  a long  history. 
She  is  governed  under  an  Emperor  of  a single 
hneage.  But  our  modem  education  is  altogether 
democratic  in  its  purpose.  It  is  not  aristocratic, 
as  that  of  the  European  nations.  The  people, 
high  or  low,  rich  or  poor,  may  send  their  children 
to  the  public  schools  to  receive  equal  treatment  in 
public  education  for  six  years.  We  have  no 
separate  public  school  for  the  children  of  the  upper 
classes  of  society.  In  order  to  receive  middle- 
school  and  the  higher- school  education,  a child 
must  go  through  a public  school.  As  the  Japanese 
are  an  ambitious  race,  a young  man,  even  if  he  is 
poor,  wishes  to  receive  a middle-school  education. 
Again,  even  the  most  of  those  who  receive  the 
higher-school  education  are  poor.  In  short,  Jap- 
anese education  is  the  most  democratic  of  all 
the  nations  of  the  world. 

EDUCATION  UNIVERSAL 

There  are  not  many  persons  in  Japan  who  have 
not  received  a public-school  education.  A Japan- 
ese child  now  receives  education  at  least  for  six 
years.  Many  go  to  receive  middle-school  educa- 
tion. In  this  respect,  we  are  by  no  means  behind 
European  and  American  countries.  Even  in 
respect  of  the  number  of  those  who  receive  the 
higher  courses  of  education,  we  do  not  stand 


The  Spirit  of  Japanese  Education  175 


behind  other  nations.  To-day,  the  older  persons, 
and  even  some  younger  men,  complain  that  we  are 
being  too  much  educated.  I shall  here  omit 
statistics  in  stating  that  our  education  is  univer- 
sally being  granted  to  the  people.  There  is  much 
more  that  I should  like  to  say  about  Japanese 
education,  but  lack  of  space  forbids. 


RELIGION  AND  EDUCATION  IN  JAPAN 


TETSUJIRO  INOUYE 

[Dr.  Tetsujiro  Inouye,  Bungaku  Hakushi  (Doctor  of  Litera- 
ture), dean  of  College  of  Literature,  Tokyo  Imperial  University, 
and  professor  of  philosophy  at  the  same  college;  bom  1856 
in  Chikuzen;  was  graduated  from  the  College  of  Literature, 
Tokyo  Imperial  University,  1880;  1884-90,  prosecuted  his 
studies  in  Heidelberg,  Leipzig,  Berlin,  Paris,  etc.;  in  1895, 
was  elected  member  of  the  Imperial  Academy;  in  1897,  dele- 
gate to  the  grand  meeting  of  the  Oriental  Association,  Paris; 
he  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  scholars  of  philosophy  in 
Japan;  author  of  History  of  Oriental  Philosophy,  Dictionary 
of  Philosophy,  Commentaries  on  the  Imperial  Rescript  on 
Education,  etc.] 


For  the  past  several  centuries,  it  has  been  our 
policy  that  national  education  should  not  be 
mixed  with  positive  religion,  but  especially  since 
the  Restoration  of  the  Mikado,  the  former  has 
come  to  stand  aloof  entirely  from  the  latter,  and 
the  two  are  accorded  special  fields  distinct  from 
each  other.  Again,  by  the  Imperial  Rescript  on 
Education  issued  in  1890,  the  guiding  principle 
of  our  moral  education  was  estabhshed.  It  is  not 
to  be  altered  forever.  This  is  why  positive  religion 
is  not  allowed  to  be  connected  with  our  national 
education. 


176 


Religion  and  Education  in  Japan  177 


By  the  term  “national  education”  I mean  the 
development  of  the  character  of  individuals  as 
well  as  the  mental  preparation  of  them  for  an 
efficient  membership  in  the  nation.  There  is  no 
reason  why  such  education  should  always  necessi- 
tate positive  religion,  while  there  is  some  reason 
to  think  that  such  education  may  sometimes  be 
impeded  or  disturbed  by  positive  religion.  But, 
besides  this,  we  have  several  grounds  for  separating 
the  one  from  the  other.  From  the  religious  point 
of  view,  our  nation  is  very  heterogeneous,  it 
consisting  of  Buddhists,  Shintoists,  Confucians, 
Christians,  non-religionists,  etc.  If,  therefore, 
those  of  various  creeds  are  placed  in  a non-secular 
institution  to  be  educated,  no  small  inconvenience 
will  be  caused  in  the  details  of  instruction,  and 
educational  standardization  wall  become  out  of 
the  question,  through  the  dissatisfaction  of  those 
elements  whose  religious  beliefs  are  different  from 
those  professed  by  their  school,  college,  or  univer- 
sity, as  the  case  may  be.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
various  positive  religions  are  made  integral  parts 
of  an  educational  institution,  they  wall  compete 
wath  one  another,  with  the  result  that  the  school, 
college,  or  university  concerned  wall  become  a 
scene  of  continual  disturbances  and  exasperate 
dissensions.  For  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  it  is 
very  gratifying  that,  in  our  country,  our  national 
education  should  stand  aloof  from  all  religious 
connection.  France  has  already  separated  her 
educational  life  from  her  religious  life;  Italy,  too. 


1 78  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


has  done  so,  so  far  as  her  elementary  education 
is  concerned.  Both  the  United  States  and  South 
American  Republics  have  adopted  a secular  educa- 
tional system,  while  Great  Britain  and  other 
countries  show  the  same  tendencies.  Thus  it  may 
be  seen  that  our  educational  policy  is  in  accord 
with  the  general  trend  of  the  world. 

Education  may  be  divided  into  four  stages — 
embryonic  education,  home  education,  school 
education,  and  social  education;  and  it  is  from 
school  education  that  positive  religion  should  be 
separated.  This  stage  of  education  is  the  most 
systematic  and  most  important  of  the  fom;  and 
when  we  say  “education”  in  general  we  imply 
school  education,  which  should  have  absolutely 
nothing  to  do  with  religion.  But  for  home  and 
social  education,  religion  may  be  used  to  advan- 
tage. In  home  education,  emotional  cultiure  is  the 
most  important  thing,  and  therefore  a good 
religion  may  be  of  some  benefit  in  this  direction. 
However,  the  religious  influence  which  an  in- 
dividual undergoes  being  the  greatest  when  he  is 
in  the  stage  of  social  education,  positive  religion 
must  guide  him  in  a way  consistent  wdth  his  school 
education.  The  effect  of  socio-religious  education 
is  already  very  remarkable  in  this  cotmtry. 

From  old  times,  Japanese  Buddhists  have  been 
good  social  workers.  In  those  days,  w'hen  there 
were  no  systematic  institutions  for  the  mental 
training  of  people,  they  even  undertook  mass 
education  as  well  as  their  mission  work;  but  since 


Religion  and  Education  in  Japan  179 


the  distinct  separation  of  positive  religion  and 
the  educational  system,  they  have  been  exerting 
themselves  mainly  for  social  education.  Although 
various  sects  of  Buddhism  and  Shintoism  in  Japan 
have  each  an  institution  of  collegiate  grade,  its 
object  is  to  bring  up  younger  religionists  of  its 
own  sect,  and  it  has  nothing  to  do  wdth  the  general 
national  education. 

As  to  the  social  activities  of  our  religious  bodies, 
chaplains  are  being  despatched  to  prisons,  orphan- 
ages, military  barracks,  large  factories,  correction 
houses,  etc.,  and  many  homes  have  been  estab- 
lished to  receive  ex-prisoners,  depraved  children, 
or  needy  persons.  Thus  our  religionists  are 
making  great  efforts  to  save  the  soul  and  the  flesh ; 
but  in  point  of  their  method,  experience,  and 
scholarship,  and  of  the  condition  of  their  organiza- 
tions, there  is  yet  something  to  be  desired  from  the 
present  socio-religious  movement  in  Japan. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  education  and  religion 
are  distinctly  separated  from  each  other  in  this 
country,  there  is  among  the  nation  a universal 
religious  ideal  outside  of  all  positive  religions. 
In  other  words,  our  national  life  has  a universal 
factor  special  to  it.  Emperor  Meiji’s  Rescript  on 
Education  is  but  a concrete  expression  of  this  uni- 
versal religious  ideal,  an  adaptation  of  this  ideal 
to  the  particular  conditions  of  the  Japanese  nation. 
In  that  sense,  our  national  education  and  our 
religious  education  are  not  altogether  independent 
of  each  other. 


i8o  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

If  education  without  any  religious  ideal  lacks 
real  human  interest  and  is  unfit  for  the  moral 
development  of  the  younger  generation,  it  is  well 
that  the  influence  of  the  Imperial  Rescript  in 
question  makes  up  for  the  want  of  a positive 
religious  element  in  our  educational  system,  while 
we  are  able  to  avoid  all  difficulties  due  to  sectarian 
strife. 


TECHNICAL  EDUCATION  IN  JAPAN 


SEI-ICHI  TESHIMA 


[Hon.  Sei-ichi  Teshima,  Director  of  the  Tokyo  Technical 
College;  born  1849  in  Edo  (Tokyo);  studied  in  America  for 
five  years;  he  served  his  government  in  several  important 
capacities.  He  is  one  of  the  best  authorities  on  technical 
education  in  Japan.] 


Technical  education  in  Japan  began  during 
the  last  days  of  the  Tokugawa  Shogunate,  when 
a bureau  of  investigation  of  Western  literature 
was  opened  and  in  it  a provision  was  made  for  a 
school  of  natural  science.  The  bureau  of  investi- 
gation has  changed  its  name  several  times  since. 
The  object  of  that  bureau  was  to  educate  high- 
class  mechanics  only.  But  in  the  6th  year  of 
Meiji  (1873)  its  name  was  changed  to  the  Tokyo 
Kaisei  Gakko;  and,  at  the  same  time,  for  the 
purpose  of  educating  the  intermediate  mechanics, 
an  experimental  lecture  hall  was  established  in 
the  school.  In  this  experimental  lecture  hall, 
chemistry  and  various  courses  in  mechanics  and 
architecture  were  provided,  which  the  students 
could  complete  in  two  years.  This  lecture  hall 
turned  out  graduates  twice  during  its  existence. 
But  when  the  Tokyo  Kaisei  Gakko  was  rechris- 

181 


1 82  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

tened  the  Tokyo  University,  in  its  natural  science 
department,  chemistry,  mechanics,  building  en- 
gineering, mining  engineering,  and  other  kindred 
subjects  were  included.  These  were  the  same 
subjects  taught  in  the  experimental  lecture  hall, 
but  they  were  taught  here  in  a more  dignified 
manner.  So,  there  was  no  need  for  continuing 
the  experimental  lecture  hall,  and  it  was  abolished. 
Certainly,  the  necessity  of  educating  intermediate 
mechanics  has  not  ceased  to  exist,  and  a few  years 
afterward  the  Tokyo  Mechanics  School  was 
established.  The  Tokyo  Kaisei  Gakko  was  re- 
named the  Tokyo  University  in  the  loth  year  of 
Meiji  (1877).  Previously  there  had  been  the 
Tokyo  Technical  School,  under  the  super\fision 
of  the  Department  of  Labour  (afterward  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Technical  College). 
That  w^as  also  a school  for  educating  higher-class 
mechanics.  It  was  afterward  incorporated  to- 
gether with  the  Tokyo  University  in  the  Imperial 
University  of  Tokyo  under  the  name  of  the  Tech- 
nical College. 

The  Tokyo  Mechanics  School  was  thus  estab- 
lished for  the  purpose  of  educating  foremen  for 
mechanics  and  technical  teachers.  In  the  23rd 
year  of  Meiji  (1890),  its  name  was  changed  to 
the  Tokyo  Technical  School.  The  object  of  the 
school  was  then  mainly  to  educate  engineers.  At 
the  same  time,  the  school  for  mechanical  appren- 
tices, which  had  been  an  annex  to  the  Tokyo 
Commercial  School,  was  separated  from  it  and 


Technical  Education  in  Japan  183 


annexed  to  the  Tokyo  Technical  School.  After- 
ward this  annex  school  was  called  the  Mechanical 
Apprentice  School.  After  the  war  with  China, 
1894-5,  Japan’s  industries  made  a rapid  advance, 
and  as  a result  there  was  urgent  need  for  schools 
for  educating  engineers.  So  the  Osaka  Technical 
School  was  established.  Then  the  regulations 
governing  industrial  schools  were  promulgated, 
and  both  the  Tokyo  and  the  Osaka  Technical 
Schools  were  called  Higher  Technical  Schools,  and 
w'ere  counted  among  the  higher  institutions  of 
industrial  education.  Later,  higher  schools  were 
established  in  Kyoto,  Nagoya,  Kumamoto,  and 
Sendai. 

Now,  the  institutions  for  training  mechanics 
were  established  one  after  another,  beginning  with 
the  Mechanical  Apprentices  School,  an  annex  to 
the  Tokyo  Higher  Technical  School.  In  the  26th 
year  of  Meiji  (1893),  the  regulations  for  the  indus- 
trial supplementary  schools  were  promulgated. 
At  the  same  time,  when  the  regulations  for  the 
government  grants  to  industrial  schools  were 
promulgated,  the  Technical  Supplementary  Schools 
and  the  Alechanical  Apprentice  Schools  were 
established  one  after  another.  Then  were  pro- 
mulgated the  regulations  governing  industrial 
schools.  Also  regulations  were  promulgated  for 
various  kinds  of  technical  schools  (of  intermediate 
grade),  and  in  a few  years  many  schools  of  that 
class  were  established.  The  object  of  these 
technical  schools  was  to  educate  foremen  mechan- 


/ 


i84  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

ics,  as  the  Mechanical  Apprentice  Schools  and  the 
Technical  Supplementary  Schools  trained  me- 
chanical apprentices.  The  majority  of  the  technical 
schools  founded  by  the  districts  (fu)  and  the 
prefectures  (ken)  of  to-day  are  of  that  class. 

Thus,  our  industrial  school  system  was  put  in 
order.  But  the  condition  of  our  industrial  world 
demands  more  technical  schools. 

A.  The  Technical  College.  The  Technical 
College  is  a school  where  the  highest  courses  in 
technical  science  are  taught.  Its  term  of  study 
is  three  years  and  the  graduates  from  it  are  given 
the  degree  of  M.E.  Its  subjects  of  study  are  as 
follows : 

1 . Building  engineering. 

2.  Mechanical  engineering. 

3.  Ship-building  architecture. 

4.  Arms  manufacturing. 

5.  Electrical  engineering. 

6.  Architectirral  engineering. 

7.  Applied  chemistry. 

8.  Powder  manufacturing. 

9.  Mining  engineering. 

Besides  the  Technical  College  in  the  Imperial 
University  of  Tokyo,  there  is  a Technical  College 
in  the  Imperial  University  of  Kyoto.  But  there 
is  as  yet  no  private  technical  college. 

B.  The  Higher  Technical  School.  Next  to  the 
Technical  College,  the  Higher  Technical  School 


Technical  Education  in  Japan  185 


is  one  in  which  the  higher  courses  in  technology 
are  taught.  Its  term  of  study  is  three  years. 
In  the  Tokyo  Higher  Technical  School  are  taught 
the  following  seven  subjects,  namely : dyeing 
(dyeing  with  colour  and  with  machines),  kilndry, 
applied  chemistry,  mechanical  engineering,  elec- 
tricity (electrical  mechanics  and  electrical  chem- 
istry), and  technical  drawing.  As  an  annex  there 
is  the  Mechanical  Apprentices  School.  Another 
annex  to  the  School,  the  Technical  Teachers 
School,  trains  principals  and  teachers  for  supple- 
mentary technical  schools.  There  is  also  a 
supplementary  technical  school  attached  to  the 
institution.  Higher  Technical  Schools  have  also 
been  established  in  Kyoto,  Kumamoto,  Sendai, 
etc. 

C.  The  Technical  School.  This  school  has 
been  established  for  the  purpose  of  training  lower- 
class  mechanics,  its  term  of  study  is  three  years. 
The  subjects  of  study  generally  given  in  such 
technical  schools  throughout  the  country  are 
dyeing,  mechanical  engineering,  architectural 
engineering,  lacquering,  mining  engineering,  and 
mechanical  drawing. 

D.  The  Mechanical  Apprentices  School.  This 
school  was  established  to  give  a training  necessary 
for  those  who  desire  to  become  mechanics.  Its 
term  of  study  is  from  six  months  to  four  years. 
The  requirements  for  the  entrance  examinations 
are  that  the  applicants  for  admission  must  be 
twelve  or  more  years  of  age  and  that  they  have 


i86  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


graduated  from  the  grammar  school  or  have 
received  an  equivalent  education.  The  number 
of  apprentices  schools  now  in  existence  is  over 
forty,  including  both  public  and  private  ones. 

E.  The  Supplementary  Technical  School.  This 
school  gives  sufficient  knowledge  of  technical 
matters  in  the  simplest  way  to  enable  those  who 
are  engaged  or  want  to  engage  in  various  indus- 
tries, and  at  the  same  time  supplements  the 
public-school  education  that  the  pupils  have 
received.  There  are  now  seventy  or  more  public 
schools  of  this  class. 

The  foregoing  is  a brief  outline  of  our  technical 
education.  Details  could  not,  of  course,  be  given 
in  this  brief  sketch. 


THE  VIRTUES  OF  JAPANESE 
WOMANHOOD 

UTA-KO  SHIMODA 


[Mme.  Uta-ko  Shimoda,  founder  and  principal  of  Jissen 
Girls’  School;  born  Sept.,  1856;  as  a young  maiden  of  16  years, 
she  was  appointed  a Court  lady ; her  ability  in  composing  uta 
(Japanese  odes)  attracted  the  notice  of  the  Empress  (the 
present  Empress  Dowager),  and  it  w’as  at  Her  Majesty’s 
suggestion  that  her  original  name  was  changed  to  "Uta-ko”; 
in  1886,  she  was  appointed  dean  of  the  Peeresses’  School;  re- 
signed the  post  in  1907  and  has  since  devoted  herself  chiefly 
to  the  management  of  Jissen  Girls’  School  which  she  founded 
in  1899;  she  travelled  in  Europe  and  America  for  the  purpose  of 
inspecting  conditions  of  female  education,  1893-95;  she  is  one 
of  the  foremost  lady-educationists  in  Japan  and  has  a large 
following  among  Japanese  women;  author  of  A Treatise  on 
Domestic  Economy,  The  Houseunfe’s  Library  (both  in  Japanese), 
etc.] 


Education  is  like  horticulture.  If  one  engages 
in  horticulture  with  sincerity  of  purpose,  the 
ordinary  wild  flowers  or  the  common  plants  may 
be  made  pleasant  to  look  at  and  serviceable. 
But  if  he  attempts  to  raise  something  extraordi- 
nary and  new — that  is,  if  he  tries  to  raise  eggplants 
from  cucumber  vines,  or  to  make  cherry  blossoms 
come  out  of  willow  trees,  he  will  have  spent  his 
energy  for  no  practical  purpose.  Not  only  that, 

187 


i88  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


but  he  may  thereby  kill  the  vines  or  break  the 
branches  of  the  willow  trees. 

It  is  the  same  with  education.  In  order  to 
adopt  the  methods  of  foreign  countries  of  different 
manners,  customs,  and  habits,  we  should  first 
carefully  examine  them  before  we  decide  to  adopt 
them.  We  should  not  decide  recklessly.  We 
have  pecuHar  race  characteristics  of  our  own. 
Moreover,  we  have  with  us  a chief  magistrate  who 
is  peerless  in  the  world,  and  a national  ideal  that 
never  changes.  To  be  sure,  every  nation  has  its 
own  peculiarities,  and  the  methods  used  in  cherish- 
ing these  peculiarities  should  be  such  as  siait  the 
condition  of  the  country.  So,  the  good  points 
of  the  institutions  of  foreign  countries  should  be 
carefully  selected,  so  that  in  adopting  anything 
we  should  not  “kill  the  cow  by  trying  to  straighten 
her  horns,”  or  to  feel  inconvenience  by  “adding 
legs  to  snakes.” 

The  honour  of  the  Japanese  woman  is  that  she 
becomes  a virtuous  wife  and  a good  mother.  She 
is  fit  to  be  the  queen  of  her  household,  and  not 
the  queen  of  society.  The  Western  woman  is 
tall  and  robust  in  body,  beautiful  in  figure, 
sprightly  in  manner,  and  straightforward  in  lan- 
guage. In  a sense,  these  qualities  may  have  been 
acquired  by  long  usage  and  social  education,  but 
they  have  been  bom  and  bred  in  the  woman,  as 
she  is  given  precedence  as  the  flower  of  society. 
As  for  the  Japanese  woman,  we  cannot  say  that 
she  is  equal  to  the  Western  woman  in  these  strong 


Virtues  of  Japanese  Womanhood  189 


qualities.  But  she  is  peerless  in  the  world  in 
these  virtues;  that  she  does  not  shun  her  duty  to 
sacrifice  herself  for  her  parents,  husband,  and 
children;  is  not  frightened  by  adversity,  does  not 
bewail  her  misfortunes,  and  always  looks  after 
her  household  affairs,  comforts  and  nurses  the 
members  of  her  household,  and  takes  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  the  household  upon  herself,  so 
that  the  head  of  the  family  will  not  have  to  dis- 
tract his  attention  from  his  business.  The  sweet 
fruits  of  her  virtues  and  steady  character  are  such 
that  the  more  one  tastes  them  the  sweeter  they 
would  become.  Besides,  the  woman  of  old  Japan 
never  stood  behind  the  bearded  man  in  matters 
of  loyalty  to  the  chief  magistrate,  and  of  devotion 
to  the  affairs  of  state.  To  illustrate  with  august 
examples,  there  were  Yamato-hime,  consort  of 
Emperor  Suijin,  who  was  resolute  in  times  of 
emergency:  and  Empress  Jingo,  who  accomplished 
great  deeds  of  valour.  Then  there  w'ere  Lady 
Wage,  who  w'as  humane  and  philanthropic;  Lady 
Masako  Taira,  who  was  clever  and  resourceful  as  a 
politician;  and  Lady  Kasuga-no-Tsubone,  who  dis- 
tinguished herself  by  her  devotion  as  governess  of 
her  child-master,  afterward  Shogim  lyemitsu  of  To- 
kugawa.  There  are  many  other  examples  in  history 
of  Japanese  women  who  distinguished  themselves 
by  their  virtues.  Who,  then,  can  say  that  the  typi- 
cal Japanese  woman’s  sphere  of  activity  was  con- 
fined in  being  a virtuous  wife  and  a good  mother, 
or  that  she  is  not  fit  to  be  a great  social  factor? 


190  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


I do  not  wish  to  be  misunderstood  as  being 
content  merely  with  our  own  virtues,  and  objecting 
to  take  lessons  from  others.  If  we  can  maintain 
the  ideal  of  Imperial  Japanese  nationalism, — that 
is  the  basic  principle  of  Bushido  education, — we 
should  go  out  to  seek  lessons  in  the  virtues  of 
others.  Besides,  what  other  nations  consider 
praiseworthy  often  coincides  with  what  we  would 
so  consider.  I was  told  that  when  George  Wash- 
ington, the  originator  of  American  independence, 
was  coming  home  after  the  war,  his  country- 
men were  wild  with  joy  in  extending  a welcome  to 
him.  They  praised  him,  gathered  roimd  him, 
and  gave  thanks  to  his  mother.  The  mother  said : 

“George  is  just  an  honest  little  boy.  He  isn’t 
a general  or  a president  to  me.  He  is  only  my 
George,  who  is  a dutiful  boy  to  his  mother,  and 
kind  to  his  neighbours.” 

Again,  when  a certain  person  visited  the  mother 
of  Washington,  and,  meeting  an  elderly  coxmtry- 
woman  employed  in  garden  work,  advised  her  to 
retire  from  service,  the  mother  was  astonished, 
and  replied : 

“My  son  is  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  nation, 
so  he  may  receive  treatment  as  such.  I am  only 
an  old  countrywoman  of  Mt.  Vernon,  and  mustn’t 
overstep  the  bounds  of  my  social  position.  And 
when  I shall  have  saved  enough  for  my  household 
and  to  spare,  I shall  divide  it  with  the  people  of 
our  village.  These  people  are  not  rich,  after  the 
war.  We  must  see  to  it  that  they  are  all  provided 


Virtues  of  Japanese  Womanhood  191 


for  as  soon  as  possible.”  And  she  continued 
wearing  coarse  linen,  with  a white  apron,  and 
assiduously  working  at  making  straw  braids  or 
baking  home-made  bread.  At  that  time,  the 
French  Ambassador  called  on  Washington’s 
mother,  and  afterward  said : 

“It  was  not  by  an  accident  that  America  has 
become  what  she  is  to-day.  When  I was  in  the 
presence  of  this  old  woman  of  coarse  linen,  I 
noticed  that  there  was  more  of  the  brilliant  glory 
than  there  is  in  the  presence  of  the  queen  of  a great 
nation,  wearing  a long  silk  garment,  and  decorated 
with  resplendent  precious  jewelry,  and  I uncon- 
sciously bent  my  head  low.” 

After  her  death,  the  people  in  erecting  a tomb 
for  her,  decided  that,  for  one  whose  life-works 
were  so  great  and  illustrious,  there  was  no  need  of 
recording  them  on  the  tombstone  in  detail.  Petty 
words,  such  as  might  be  carved  on  the  tombstone, 
would  tend  only  to  detract  from  the  greatness  of 
the  mother.  So  only  the  following  words  were 
inscribed : 

“George  Washington’s  Mother.” 

How  great  was  the  glory  of  the  virtuous  mother ! 
I went  to  Europe  and  America  soon  after  the 
Chinese  War  of  1893-4,  order  to  investigate  the 
education  of  women  abroad.  After  my  return, 
besides  my  regular  duty  as  an  educator  of  the  girls 
of  the  upper  classes  (I  was  the  president  of  the 
Peeresses’  School),  I was  entrusted  with  the  work 


192  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


of  tutorship  for  the  August  Family;  and  then  I 
boldly  planned  the  education  of  the  girls  of  the 
middle  and  the  lower  classes  of  society.  This 
latter  work  was  the  beginning  of  the  present  Jissen 
Girls’  School.  My  original  object  was  to  relieve 
and  comfort  those  who  might  suffer  from  the 
result  of  the  extravagance  of  the  people  on  accoimt 
of  victory  in  the  war,  which  would  upset  society, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  establish  a school  where 
the  girls  might  be  educated  to  become  virtuous 
wives  and  good  mothers.  Since  the  founding  of 
this  school,  sixteen  years  have  elapsed.  Still  our 
final  goal  is  far  beyond.  Before  we  reach  it,  we 
will  have  to  go  through  many  trials  on  the  way. 
We  have  by  no  means  finished  the  work.  Yet  the 
fact  that  we  have  been  able  to  send  into  the  world 
from  this  school  a few  girl  graduates  of  steadfast 
purpose  in  life,  gives  joy  to  my  heart. 


IDEOGRAPHIA  DEPEND  A EST I 


NAIBU  KANDA 


[Baron  Naibu  Kanda,  M.A.,  Dean  of  the  Faculty  and 
Acting-Director  of  the  Tokyo  Higher  Commercial  College; 
member  of  the  House  of  Peers;  bom  in  Tokyo  Feb.,  1857;  was 
educated  at  Amherst  High  School  and  Amherst  College, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1879;  since  his  return  home  he  has 
devoted  his  life  to  the  cause  of  education,  particularly  to  the 
spread  of  the  knowledge  of  the  English  language  and  litera- 
ture among  his  countrymen ; he  has  also  served  his  government 
in  various  other  important  capacities;  author  of  numerous 
text-books  for  the  study  of  English.] 


If  I were  to  pick  out  any  one  thing  which  lies 
at  the  bottom  of  the  difference  between  American 
and  Japanese  education,  I would  point  to  the 
ideographs.  Prior  to  the  introduction  of  Chinese 
civilization  in  the  third  century,  Japan  seems  to 
have  had  no  regular  system  of  writing.  Among 
the  earhest  specimens  of  writing  extant  are  those 
in  the  famous  collection  of  ancient  poems — the 
Man-y6shu,  dating  back  to  over  a thousand  years 
ago,  in  which  Chinese  characters,  or  ideographs, 
are  used  phonetically  to  spell  out  Japanese  sotmds. 
Thus,  from  the  earliest  times  Chinese  Hterature, 
with  its  wealth  of  poetry  and  philosophy,  formed 
the  foundation  of  our  culture.  It  was  the  back- 


13 


193 


194  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


bone  of  our  education  iintil,  with  the  advent  of 
Western  civiHzation  a httle  over  half  a century 
ago,  our  whole  educational  system  was  modelled 
after  the  pattern  of  the  West,  and  all  the  subjects 
taught  in  the  schools  of  Europe  and  America  were 
included  in  the  curriculum  of  studies.  If  at  that 
early  stage,  together  with  many  other  salutary 
reforms,  the  government  had  been  wise  enough  to 
foresee  the  far-reaching  result  of  substituting 
Roman  letters  for  the  ideographs,  they  would  have 
conferred  a priceless  blessing  upon  all  posterity. 
One  Imperial  Edict  would  have  settled  the  ques- 
tion once  for  all,  and  added  the  brightest  gem 
to  the  glory  of  the  Meiji  Era.  The  golden 
opportimity  is  now  lost  forever,  and  to-day  every 
question  of  national  importance  must  be  decided 
by  the  popular  assembly,  and  questions  of  more 
pressing  nature  engross  the  attention  of  the 
members.  Thus  the  ideographic  letters  remain, 
and  all  our  school  text-books,  excepting  those  for 
foreign  languages,  are  written  in  these  forms,  the 
mere  acquisition  of  which  is  a great  tax  on  the 
mental  energy  of  the  yoimg.  The  written  lan- 
guage of  the  present  day  is  a mixture  of  Chinese 
ideographs  and  the  Japanese  syllabic  alphabet, 
called  the  Kana,  which  was  invented  over  a thou- 
sand years  ago,  and  is  known  as  Sinico-Japanese. 
The  question  naturally  arises,  why  not  write  the 
language  entirely  with  the  simple  Japanese  sylla- 
bary of  forty-eight  symbols?  That  was  the 
contention  of  the  reform  movement  called  the 


Ideographia  Delenda  Est ! 195 

Kana-no-Kai,  which  was  started  some  thirty  years 
ago.  But  the  force  of  custom  and  usage  of  a 
thousand  years  was  too  strong  for  the  new  move- 
ment to  make  much  headway.  The  conservatives 
claimed  that,  as  the  Japanese  language  contained 
so  many  homonyms  introduced  from  Chinese, 
the  syllabic  alphabet  was  utterly  inadequate  as  a 
medium  for  the  expression  of  complicated  thought. 
For  one  who  has  mastered  the  ideographs,  to 
express  one’s  thought  in  concise  and  readily 
understood  characters,  instead  of  by  spelling  out 
each  word  with  syllabic  symbols,  has  a charm  of 
which  the  uninitiated  can  form  no  idea.  Besides, 
the  graceful  strokes  of  the  soft  and  pliable  brush, 
so  much  more  expressive  of  feeling  than  the  hard 
point  of  a steel  pen,  had  raised  calligraphy  to  the 
rank  of  an  art  almost  as  exquisite  as  painting 
itself.  Nevertheless,  with  all  that  can  be  said  in 
favour  of  ideographs,  when  we  realize  how  much 
mental  energy  the  young  must  sacrifice  for  learn- 
ing mere  signs,  thus  diverting  it  from  the  acqui- 
sition of  useful  knowledge,  the  conviction  that 
ideographs  should  have  no  place  in  the  education 
of  the  twentieth  century  comes  home  to  us  with 
tremendous  force.  Another  reform  movement 
called  the  Romaji-Kai  was  started  a little  after  the 
other,  its  object  being  to  substitute  the  Roman 
alphabet  for  the  ideographs.  As  the  English 
language  was  compulsory  in  our  schools  and  as 
the  objections  against  the  Kana-no-Kai  were 
raised  by  grown-ups,  who  had  mastered  the  ideo- 


196  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


graphs,  believing  that  this  reform  must  begin 
with  the  young,  the  writer  published  a series  of 
English  readers  with  exercises  for  translation  from 
English  into  Japanese  and  vice  versa,  using  the 
Roman  letter  transliteration.  That  series  of 
English  text-books  was  widely  adopted  through- 
out the  country,  and  no  doubt  did  much  good  in 
sowing  the  seed  in  the  right  ground.  Unlike  its 
less  fortunate  sister  society,  the  Romaji-Kai 
under  the  present  name  of  Romaji-Hirome-Kai 
happily  still  exists,  and  with  the  aid  of  its  organ, 
published  monthly  in  transliterated  Japanese,  is 
doing  its  best  in  slowly  but  steadily  pushing  on  the 
work  of  propaganda.  But  it  is  hard  to  pull  against 
the  stream  of  long  usage  and  popular  prejudice, 
and  the  blessing  which  the  writer  wished  to  be- 
queath to  his  children  may  not  be  realized  by  even 
his  great-grandchildren. 


WESTERN  WORKS  OF  LITERATURE,  RE- 
LIGION, AND  PHILOSOPHY  TRANSLATED 
AND  INTRODUCED  IN  JAPAN 

MEIZO  TOGAWA 

[Mr.  Meizo  Togawa,  professor  of  English  literature  at  Keio 
University:  bom  1870  in  Kumamoto;  was  graduated  from 
Meiji  Gakuin  (a  mission  college):  he  has  recently  published 
some  translations  from  Emerson  and  Turgenev;  he  is  also  the 
author  of  various  books  on  literary  matters.] 

Since  the  Restoration  of  1868,  the  intellectual 
world  of  Japan  has  passed  through  a revolution. 
Within  the  short  space  of  forty-five  years  there 
have  been  innumerable  different  ideas  which  have 
come  and  gone  intermittently,  like  lightning 
flashes.  To  cut  this  period  roughly  into  divisions: 
the  first  was  from  the  ist  year  of  Meiji  to  the 
20th  (1868-87),  the  period  of  Europeanization; 
the  second,  from  the  20th  of  Meiji  to  the  30th 
(1887-97),  the  period  of  reaction  and  of  preserva- 
tion of  Japan’s  original  characteristics;  the  third, 
from  the  30th  of  Meiji  to  the  35th  or  36th  (1897- 
1902  or  3),  the  period  of  Japanism;  the  fourth  from 
the  35th  or  36th  of  Meiji  to  the  42nd  or  43d  (1902 
or  3 to  1909  or  10),  the  period  of  fin-de-siecle- 
ism” ; the  fifth  from  the  42nd  or  43d  year  of  Meiji 

197 


198  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


(1909  or  10)  to  the  present  time,  the  period  of 
psychology  and  philosophy. 

Along  with  these  shiftings  of  thought  the 
Western  books  of  literature,  religion,  and  other 
subjects  were  imported.  During  the  first  and 
after  the  fourth  periods  Western  ideas  were  intro- 
duced in  Japan  like  spring  floods.  But  it  was  only 
after  the  Chinese  War  of  the  27th  and  28th  of 
Meiji  (1894-5)  that  the  Japanese  began  to  study 
earnestly  the  civilization  of  the  West  with  national 
self-consciousness.  From  that  period  Japanese 
civilization  began  to  assimilate  that  of  Europe  and 
America,  and  then  the  ideas  prevailing  at  the  end 
of  the  century  were  simultaneously  introduced 
in  Japan.  Nietzsche’s  individualism  and  decadent 
ideas  have  held  sway  in  our  intellectual  world  for 
a considerable  time.  The  Russian  War  helped 
greatly  to  develop  the  national  self-consciousness 
of  the  Japanese,  and  translations  of  many  foreign 
books  that  aided  the  people  in  acquiring  knowledge 
have  come  to  be  in  great  demand.  But  at  that 
period  the  Western  works  that  were  translated  in 
Japan  dealt  mostly  with  natural  sciences,  chemis- 
try, engineering,  and  the  arts.  Translations  of 
works  of  literature,  philosophy,  and  social  sciences 
have  been  made  in  great  numbers  since  1910  or 
1 91 1.  These  included  the  notable  works  to  the 
number  of  tens  of  thousands  by  Western  scholars 
of  political,  social,  legal,  institutional,  educational, 
historical,  literary,  and  religious  sciences  and  arts, 
as  well  as  of  natural  sciences,  engineering,  and 


Western  Works  of  Literature  199 


other  arts.  For  these  translations  the  most  noted 
Western  works  were  selected  as  original  texts, 
and  the  translations  were  made  with  painstaking 
efforts  by  our  scholars.  In  the  present  paper  I 
shall  confine  myself  to  describing  the  translation 
of  literary,  religious,  historical,  philosophical,  and 
such  works  as  concern  the  ideal  of  the  people, 
omitting  works  of  social,  political,  and  kindred 
sciences.  The  assiduity  with  which  these  transla- 
tions were  made  and  the  eagerness  with  which 
they  have  been  and  are  being  welcomed  attest 
the  attitude  of  the  minds  of  the  people  who  wish 
to  study  the  natural  characteristics  of  the  nations 
of  the  world  in  order  to  enrich  their  own. 

First,  as  to  the  literary  works  translated.  In 
the  2nd  year  of  Meiji  (1869),  ^sop' s Fables  were 
translated,  being  the  first  Western  literature  ever 
translated  into  Japanese.  Then  there  were  many 
books  published  in  Japan,  the  authors  of  which 
apparently  were  inspired  by  the  translations  from 
Western  authors.  But  these  translations  were 
made  from  Dutch  translations  of  the  originals. 
Besides,  as  our  scholars  were  handicapped  by 
insufficient  knowledge  of  foreign  languages  and 
by  the  policy  of  prohibition  of  the  Tokugawa 
Government,  the  names  of  the  original  authors 
were  omitted.  In  the  6th  year  of  Meiji  (1873), 
another  translation  of  ^sop's  Fables  was  published. 
In  the  1 2th  year  of  Meiji  (1879)  Bulwer  Lytton’s 
Ernest  Maltravers  was  translated.  The  latter  was 
the  first  book  of  Western  fiction  to  be  translated 


200  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

into  Japanese.  The  following  works  were  soon 
translated:  Jules  Verne’s  De  la  Terre  a la  Lune, 
and  also  Verne’s  Vingt  Milles  Lieues  sous  le  Mer, 
Shakespeare’s  Merchant  of  Venice,  which  was  trans- 
lated under  the  title  The  Trial  of  a Case  in  Which 
Human  Flesh  was  Pledged,  and  were  pubHshed  in 
the  i6th  year  of  Meiji  (1883),  Scott’s  Lady  of  the 
Lake,  and  Shakespeare’s  Julius  Ccesar.  These  were 
not  the  only  works  translated.  Our  political 
aspirations  of  the  time  were  quite  in  agreement 
with  the  English  political-problem  and  romantic 
novels;  so  that  the  English  political  novels  were 
translated  in  great  number.  The  translators  of 
those  days  were  men  who  to-day  figure  prominently 
as  statesmen,  men  of  letters,  and  educators,  such 
as  Yukio  Ozaki,  Naohiko  Seki,  Dr.  Yuzo  Tsu- 
bouchi.  Dr.  Sanae  Takada,  Dr.  Tameyuki  Amano, 
and  others. 

So  far  I have  dwelt  upon  endeavours  made  up 
to  1887.  As  yet  these  Western  hteratures  were 
treated  by  the  Japanese  only  in  the  spirit  of  our 
old-style  dramatists  of  low  dignity,  and  were  not 
studied  as  the  products  of  thought  from  the  dig- 
nified point  of  view.  Then  the  late  Futabatei 
Shimei,  considering  fiction  as  a means  to  the 
solution  of  the  problem  of  life,  translated  in  1888 
a few  masterpieces  of  Turgenev.  Also  Roan 
Uchida  translated  Dostoievsky’s  Crime  and 
Punishment.  The  best  translator  of  those  days, 
however,  was  Ogwai  Mori  (Dr. Lit.  and  D.M.). 
He  retranslated  from  German  translations  the 


Western  Works  of  Literature  201 


masterpieces  of  the  literature  of  Russia,  France, 
America,  and  other  countries.  Another  man  who, 
with  English  as  the  lever,  did  much  to  introduce 
foreign  hterature  into  Japan  was  the  late  Shiken 
Morita.  The  works  of  Jules  Verne  and  Victor 
Hugo  of  France,  Tieck  of  Germany,  Edgeworth 
and  Dickens  of  England,  and  Edgar  Allan  Poe 
and  Hawthorne  of  America,  were  introduced 
through  the  pen  of  Morita. 

About  1897,  the  literary  world  of  Japan  received 
an  impetus  through  the  Chinese  War,  which  was 
fought  two  years  previously.  The  translation  of 
Western  literatirre  was  conducted  earnestly  and 
the  introduction  of  Western  civiHzation  was 
carried  on  in  good  faith.  During  this  period  the 
man  who  did  most  in  introducing  English  litera- 
ture in  Japan  was  Dr.  Yuzo  Tsubouchi,  Dr. Lit. 
He  translated  Tennyson’s  poems.  Bacon’s  Essays, 
Addison’s  Prose  Works,  etc.  From  that  time  the 
introduction  of  Western  literature  increased  in 
bulk  and  importance.  In  1907,  the  craze  for 
Western  literature  subsided  a little.  Then,  again, 
in  1907  or  1910  it  again  increased  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  appeared  as  if  every  publication  in  Japan 
was  a translation  from  Western  literature.  Below 
I shall  enumerate  the  names  of  the  authors  of 
Western  literatures  introduced  in  Japan  since 
those  years  until  to-day. 

In  Russian  literature,  Pushkin,  Turgenev, 
Tolstoy,  Dostoievsky,  Andreyev,  Chekhov,  Merej- 
kovski,  Kropotkin,  etc.  This  is  the  result  of 


202  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


the  craving  of  the  people  for  the  pessimistic  view 
of  life  which  is  to  be  found  most  prominently  in 
Northern  European  literature. 

In  French  hterature,  Zola  and  Hugo  are  some- 
what out  of  fashion.  To-day,  Maupassant  is  in 
full  glory.  Besides  him,  the  dramatic  works  of 
Dumas,  Bourget,  Daudet,  Flaubert,  Balzac,  and 
Anatole  France  are  lavishly  welcomed. 

In  German  literature,  Nietzsche,  Wagner,  Haupt- 
mann, Sudermann,  and,  among  older  writers, 
Goethe  and  Schiller  are  read. 

In  Italian  literature,  D’Annunzio  and  Fogazzaro 
have  been  introduced.  The  works  of  the  former 
are  especially  popular. 

In  Polish  literature,  Sienkiewicz  is  most  popular. 

Belgian  literature  is  represented  by  the  works  of 
Maeterlinck. 

In  Northern  European  literature,  outside  of 
Russia,  the  ice-botmd,  stem  fictions  of  Ibsen, 
Bjomson,  Strindberg,  and  Brandes  have  been 
translated. 

In  English  and  American  literature,  Symonds, 
Gosse,  G.  Bernard  Shaw,  Pinero,  Meredith, 
Kipling,  Whitman,  Mark  Twain,  Edgar  Allan  Poe, 
etc.,  have  been  introduced. 

All  of  these  modem  works  were  translated  into 
Japanese  without  reserve.  The  authors  who 
exercised  especially  great  influence  were  Turgenev, 
Gorky,  Ibsen,  Hauptmann,  and  D’Annimzio. 

So  far  I have  mentioned  the  literary  works  and 
the  authors  of  note  in  the  West.  As  for  transla- 


Western  Works  of  Literature  203 


tions  of  the  works  of  economics  and  natural  sci- 
ences, they  are  so  many  that  a brief  reference  to 
them  would  fill  a book  of  considerable  size.  The 
Western  books  were  translated  into  Japanese  even 
before  the  Meiji  Era.  But  the  really  earnest  work 
of  translation  was  commenced  after  the  4th  or 
the  5th  year  of  Meiji.  The  late  Dr.  Masanao 
Nakamura  (professor  in  the  Imperial  University 
of  Tok>"o),  in  the  6th  year  of  Meiji  (1873),  trans- 
lated the  Republican  Government  by  Gillet  of 
America.  The  late  Count  Munemitsu  Mutsu 
translated,  in  the  nth  year  of  Meiji  (1878),  Ben- 
tham’s  scientific  work.  Previous  to  that  he 
translated,  in  the  loth  year  of  Meiji  (1877),  the 
History  of  European  Civilization  by  Guizot  of 
France.  But  influence  was  first  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  Japanese  poHtics  by  the  Western  political 
thoughts  when,  in  the  15th  year  of  Meiji  (1882), 
Chomin  Nakae  translated  Contrat  Sociale  by 
Rousseau  of  France.  When  this  translation  was 
published  liberal  ideas,  which  already  had  sprung 
into  existence  in  Japan,  advanced  with  great 
strides;  and  this  rise  of  liberal  ideas  was  still 
further  augmented  by  the  manifesto  issued  by  the 
Count  Taisuke  Itagaki  concerning  the  establish- 
ment of  a national  diet  and  by  the  agitations 
directed  by  the  Liberal  party. 

Meanwhile,  the  Educational  Department  of  the 
Japanese  Government  established  a bureau  of 
translation,  and  has  done  much  in  having  trans- 
lated and  introduced  into  Japan  the  works  of 


204  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


noted  Western  authors  on  political  and  social 
sciences.  A translated  work  that  made  a great 
impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  of  Japan, 
like  the  Contrat  Sociale,  was  BluntschU’s  Allge- 
meine  Staatsrecht,  which  was  translated  from  the 
original  German  into  Japanese  by  Baron  Tosuke 
Hirata  (published  in  the  15th  year  of  Meiji). 

The  private  translators  of  those  days  introduced 
more  historical  works,  by  Guizot,  Macaulay,  and 
others,  than  anything  else. 

As  for  religious  books,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
Meiji  Era,  works  on  Christianity  were  mostly 
introduced.  But  works  on  general  theology  were 
also  translated,  from  the  tenth  year  of  Meiji 
(1877)  or  thereabouts.  In  those  days  Spencer’s 
ideas  concerning  religion  were  introduced  into 
Japan.  At  the  same  time,  works  on  natural 
theology  and  church  history,  evangehstic  works, 
translations  of  the  Old  and  , the  New  Testament 
were  produced  in  great  number.  Then  came  the 
period  of  reaction  from  the  Occidentalization  of 
Japan,  and  efforts  were  made  to  preserve  its 
original  beautiful  characteristics.  Education  ran 
counter  to  religion.  Then  came  the  period  of 
Japanism  at  the  time  of  the  Chinese  War,  and 
religious  pubHcations  did  not  flourish  for  a time. 
But  after  the  war  the  people  began  to  meditate 
upon  the  question  of  hfe  and  death,  suggested 
and  stimulated  by  the  memory  of  the  killed  in  the 
war.  The  religious  world  again  became  active. 
When  the  philosophy  of  Nietzsche  was  introduced, 


Western  Works  of  Literature  205 


many  religious  books  were  translated  and  pub- 
lished in  large  numbers  every  year. 

As  for  philosophical  works,  the  Imperial  Univer- 
sity of  Tok^^’o  was  the  centre  of  philosophical  re- 
searches. So,  if  we  trace  the  development  of  the 
school  of  philosophy  in  the  university  we  may  be 
able  to  guess  what  kind  of  philosophical  books 
were  introduced  in  Japan.  The  Imperial  Univer- 
sity appointed  Dr.  Shoichi  Toyama,  who  had 
returned,  in  the  9th  year  of  Meiji  (1876),  from  Eng- 
land, where  he  had  been  studying.  Dr.  Toyama 
was  a disciple  of  Spencer.  So  also  were  the  two 
foreign  professors  employed  in  the  university. 
That  period  was  one  in  which  Spencer  and  Huxley 
were  in  their  full  glory.  As  for  ethical  works,  the 
utilitarianism  of  Bentham  and  Mill  received  a 
great  welcome.  It  was  in  the  9th  year  of  Meiji 
(1876)  that  the  work  on  Utilitarianism  by  Mill  was 
translated  and  published  by  the  late  Dr.  Shuku 
Onishi,  and  three  years  before  Count  Mutsu  had 
translated  Bentham’s  Introduction  to  the  Principles 
of  Morals  and  Legislation. 

German  learning  began  to  be  introduced  in 
Japan  when  Professor  Cooper  was  appointed  a 
professor  in  the  Imperial  University  of  Tokyo  in 
the  13th  year  of  Meiji  (1880).  He  lectured  on 
Kant’s  philosophy,  and  used  Schlegel’s  Philosophy 
of  History  and  Boehm’s  Modern  Philosophy  as 
text-books.  The  American,  Fennelosa,  lectured 
on  Hegel’s  philosophy.  In  the  19th  year  of  Meiji 
(1886),  two  or  three  German  scholars  came  here 


2o6  Japan’s  Message  to  America 

and  lectured  on  Lotze’s  philosophy.  In  the  23d 
year  of  Meiji  (1890),  Dr.  Tetsujiro  Inouye,  Dr. 
Lit.,  returned  from  abroad  and  introduced  the 
philosophy  of  Wundt,  Fischer,  etc.  Dr.  Heber 
was  appointed  a professor  in  the  Imperial  Univer- 
sity in  the  27th  year  of  Meiji  (1894),  and  the 
philosophy  of  Schopenhauer  and  of  Hauptmann 
became  popular.  Later  came  into  fashion  neo- 
Kantianism,  taught  by  Green  in  England  and 
Paulsen  in  Germany.  Consequently,  more  Ger- 
man works  of  psychology  were  translated  and 
introduced. 

About  the  period  of  the  Chinese  War,  the 
thinkers  who  held  strongest  sway  in  Japan  were 
Carlyle  and  Emerson.  Heroes  and  Hero-worship 
by  the  former  and  the  Essays  of  the  latter  were 
translated  over  and  again  by  different  authors. 
At  the  same  time.  Goldsmith’s  Vicar  of  Wake- 
field, Dickens’s  Christmas  Carol,  Washington 
Irving’s  Sketch  Book,  when  translated,  satisfied 
the  thirst  of  the  people  for  Western  literature. 

From  the  time  of  the  Russian  War,  Nietzsche’s 
philosophy  was  introduced  by  Chikufu  Tobari, 
and  Dr.  Rinjiro  Takayama,  Dr.  Lit.,  and  has  made 
a great  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  people 
and  has  supplied  philosophical  ideas  to  others 
than  the  specialists.  Thus,  Nietzsche’s  Zarathustra 
was  translated  in  full  by  Choko  Ikuta.  After 
Nietzsche  came  the  decadent  ideas.  These  ideas 
pervaded  philosophical  and  literary  circles.  About 
the  44th  or  45th  of  Meiji  (1911  or  1912),  together 


Western  Works  of  Literature  207 


with  the  ideas  of  the  end  of  the  century,  came  the 
new  philosophy  of  Eucken  and  Bergson,  and  many 
translations  have  been  made  of  their  philosophical 
writings. 

As  I have  said,  the  translation  and  introduction 
of  Western  literature  became  popular  from  the 
42nd  year  of  Meiji  (1909).  Even  such  ancient 
and  voluminous  works  as  Plato’s  have  been  trans- 
lated (by  Takataro  Kimura).  The  kinds  of  works 
translated  have  been  so  many,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  enumerate  them  all  here.  This  work  of  transla- 
tion and  introduction  of  foreign  authors  is  bound 
to  continue  and  to  become  more  active,  as  our 
civilization  becomes  more  closely  approximated 
to  that  of  the  Western  nations. 


IMPROVEMENT  OF  JAPANESE  COMMER- 
CIAL METHODS 

OSUKE  HIBI 


[Mr.  Osiike  Hibi,  Chairman  Board  of  Directors,  Mitsu-koshi 
Department  Store,  Ltd.;  bom  Kurame,  June  i86o;  graduated 
from  Keio  University;  in  1895,  he  became  sub-manager  of  the 
Tokyo  Main  Office  of  the  Mitsui  Bank;  shortly  afterward  he 
was  promoted  general  manager;  in  1903,  when  the  dry-goods 
department  of  the  Mitsui  Company  was  placed  on  an  in- 
dependent basis,  he  was  elected  chairman  of  its  board  of 
directors;  in  1906,  he  travelled  extensively  in  Europe  and 
America  with  the  object  of  studying  the  department-store 
systems.] 

Our  commercial  life  is  not  what  it  was  half  a 
century  ago,  nor  even  what  it  was  a quarter  of  a 
century  ago.  As  a result  of  the  change  in  the 
character  of  our  modem  social  stmcture,  the 
status  of  the  merchant  has  been  raised,  and  this, 
in  turn,  has  greatly  enhanced  the  standard  of 
our  commercial  morality.  But  here  I am  not 
concerned  with  the  moral  side  of  Japan’s  com- 
mercial life.  I am  going  to  call  its  technical  side 
to  your  attention. 

In  the  past  fifty  years,  Japan  has  been  import- 
ing, digesting,  assimilating.  Western  civilization; 
and  one  of  the  most  important,  if  not  the  most 

208 


Japanese  Commercial  Methods  209 


conspicuous,  results  of  the  process  is  the  improve- 
ment that  has  been  made  on  our  business  methods. 
Space,  however,  does  not  permit  me  to  give  a 
detailed  account  of  such  improvements;  I must 
content  myself  with  illustrating  them  by  a typical 
example — department  stores. 

There  are  at  present  several  such  stores  in 
Japan.  Not  only  are  they  increasing  in  number, 
but  the  tendency  among  Japanese  retail-stores 
is  toward  “departmentalization.” 

The  pioneer  and  the  largest  of  the  department 
stores  in  this  country  is  the  Mitsu-koshi.  It  has 
1800  employees,  all  told,  and  a branch  in  Osaka, 
Kyoto,  Kiriu,  Seoul,  and  Dalny.  It  is  divided 
into  fifteen  departments — silk,  cotton,  foreign 
tailoring,  jewelry,  toilet  articles,  hair-omaments, 
outfitting,  stationery,  bags  and  boots,  children’s, 
umbrellas,  furniture,  tobacco,  china  and  cutlery, 
and  foreign;  and  in  addition  to  these,  the  Mitsu- 
koshi  has  a photo  studio,  a refreshment  room,  and 
an  art  gallery.  As  might  be  expected,  the  names 
of  the  departments  are  rather  indefinite,  as,  for 
instance,  the  umbrella  department  deals  in  walk- 
ing sticks,  Japanese  footgear,  and  several  other 
kinds  of  articles,  besides  simshades  and  parasols. 

The  history  of  Mitsu-koshi  runs  back  265  years. 
When  the  seat  of  the  Shogun’s  Government  was 
established  in  Tokyo  (then  called  Edo),  the  store 
was  already  one  of  the  largest  and  most  prosperous 
in  Japan.  By  the  way,  it  may  interest  American 
readers  to  know  that  the  cash  and  the  one-price 


14 


210 


Japan’s  Message  to  America 


systems  were  invented  and  practised  by  the 
Mitsu-koshi  two  centuries  earlier  than  by  retailers 
in  the  United  States.  Indeed,  it  largely  owed 
to  these  systems  its  early  prosperity. 

The  management  of  the  Mitsu-koshi  is  quite 
up-to-date.  It  has  introduced  almost  every 
European  or  American  method  of  business  calcu- 
lated to  give  satisfaction  to  its  customers  as  well 
as  to  promote  its  own  interests.  To  make  its 
visitors  comfortable  and  at  ease,  is  the  policy  of 
the  Mitsu-koshi.  For  that  purpose  it  has  pro- 
cured the  services  of  Mrs.  Izumiya,  a foreign  lady, 
and  its  customers  find  in  her  “an  ideal  adviser 
for  making  purchases.”  The  Mitsu-koshi  has  a 
force  of  cyclist-messengers,  a telephone-order 
department,  a mail-order  department,  a com- 
plaint office,  an  information  bureau,  a musical 
band  of  well-trained  boys,  etc.  The  Mitsu-koshi 
is  a monthly  magazine  de  Itixe  edited  by  a nvunber 
of  artists  and  literary  men  in  the  employ  of  the 
Store,  while  various  catalogues  and  pamphlets 
are  from  time  to  time  printed  in  Japanese  and 
English  to  be  distributed  among  its  customers. 

The  “purchasing-at-home”  or  sales-on -approval 
system  is  an  invention  of  the  Mitsu-koshi,  the 
value  of  which  is  its  adaptability  to  the  peculiar 
conditions  in  Japan.  When  the  Mitsu-koshi 
receives  an  order  by  post  or  telephone,  it  sends 
salesmen  to  the  customer  with  goods  to  be  in- 
spected and  chosen  from.  Also  when  there  arrive 
new  goods  from  abroad  or  from  local  factories. 


Japanese  Commercial  Methods  21 1 


its  regular  customers  are  called  upon  and  given 
the  necessary  explanations  concerning  the  goods. 
As  far  as  I know,  this  purchasing-at-home  system 
has  no  parallels  in  Emope  or  America. 

The  Alitsu-koshi  is  patronized  by  the  Imperial 
family  and  the  peerage  as  well  as  by  the  plain 
people.  It  is,  in  fact,  an  aggregation  of  various 
specialized  stores  and  is  the  centre  of  fashion. 
For  instance,  foreign  tailoring  is  a pillar  of  the 
Mitsu-koshi.  The  art  and  skill  of  Mr.  Alexander 
Mitchel,  a well-known  “cutter”  from  London,  are 
sure  to  satisfy  the  most  exacting  of  fashion-lovers. 
There  is  another  characteristic  that  distinguishes 
the  Mitsu-koshi  from  its  Western  prototypes. 
Scholars,  educators,  and  journalists  frequent  its 
directors’  rooms,  so  that,  in  a sense,  they  constitute 
a social  club  for  them. 

Thus  far  I have  explained  only  the  Mitsu-koshi, 
but  as  almost  all  stores  of  its  kind  in  this  cotmtry 
are  modelled  upon  it,  I need  not  mention  the  others. 

That  the  department  store  has  been  introduced 
into  Japan  and  developed  into  a Japanized  form 
with  its  special  features,  is  an  illustration  (is  it 
not?)  of  the  fact  that  our  commercial  genius  has 
assimilated  various  exotic  institutions. 


PROSPECT  OF  THE  PEACE  OF  THE  WORLD ' 


ICHITARO  SHIMIZU 


[Hon.  Ichitaro  Shimizu,  lawyer,  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives;  bom  in  1865  in  Owari;  was  graduated  from 
Tokyo  Imperial  University,  1889,  and  continued  his  studies  at 
the  Middle  Temple,  London,  1890-93:  sometime  lecturer  at 
Naval  Staff  College,  Law  School  of  Tokyo  Imperial  University, 
etc.;  1899-1900,  travelled  extensively  in  Europe  and  America.] 


Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

I sincerely  thank  you  for  the  honour  bestowed 
upon  me  to  enjoy  the  companionship  of  so  many 
distinguished  gentlemen  of  this  country,  and  to 
attend  a dinner  party  in  every  way  so  perfect. 

Taking  this  opportunity,  I venture  to  express 
my  idea  about  the  “Prospect  of  the  Peace  of  the 
World.” 

So-called  actualists  deride  us  as  dreaming  of 
Utopia,  and  insist  upon  the  impossibihty  of  the 
Peace  of  the  World.  But  many  things  they  have 
declared  impossible  have  been  realized  one  after 


' An  address  by  Mr.  Shimizu  at  a welcome  banquet  given  in  his 
honour  by  American  Congressmen  at  the  Shoreham  Hotel, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  December  i,  1913.  Being  too  busy  to  pre- 
pare a new  article  at  our  request,  he  has  kindly  furnished  us  with 
this. — Ed.  J.  M.  A. 


212 


Prospect  of  the  Peace  of  the  World  213 


another.  In  the  domain  of  physics,  The  Promedes, 
a German  scientific  review,  rightly  remarks  that 
“what  the  actualists  thought  impossible  some 
twenty-five  years  ago,  have  been  realized  one  after 
another;  such  as  the  wireless  telegraph,  the  aero- 
plane, the  submarine  boat,  the  attainment  of 
absolute  zero  temperature,  the  discovery  of  the 
North  Pole,  the  natural  coloured  photograph, 
and  the  electric  photograph.”  I could  mention 
similar  occurrences  in  the  field  of  metaphysics, 
also  and  especially  in  that  of  international  law. 
Among  the  ancient  Romans,  the  words  enemies, 
robbers,  slaves,  and  barbarous  people  were  syno- 
nyms and  convertible  terms.  They  killed  unarmed 
prisoners  and  their  wives  and  children.  They 
confiscated  the  enemy’s  property  without  distinc- 
tion as  to  private  and  public  ownership.  They 
destroyed  libraries,  cemeteries,  and  hospitals. 
But  now  the  persons  of  surrendered  enemies  are 
respected.  Their  wives  and  children  are  protected, 
and  their  private  property  is  not  confiscated. 
Libraries,  cemeteries,  and  hospitals  are  now  in- 
violable. These  things  that  the  Romans  thought 
absurd  now  form  the  most  important  subjects  of 
the  body  of  international  law. 

I have  had  some  experience  myself.  Some 
twenty  years  ago,  after  I had  finished  my  course 
of  study  in  London,  and  was  on  my  way  home  to 
Japan,  I contributed  an  essay  entitled,  “The 
Necessity  of  Treaty  Revision  between  Japan  and 
Great  Britian,”  to  the  British  Economic  Journal, 


214  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


At  the  end  of  my  essay  I referred  to  the  necessity 
and  possibility  of  an  Anglo- Japanese  alliance,  on 
which  I laid  great  stress  and  importance.  The 
editor  of  the  Journal  was  good  enough  to  publish 
all  the  other  parts  of  my  essay,  but  he  cut  out 
the  last  part.  He  thought  it  absurd  and  rather 
ridiculous  to  insist  upon  an  Anglo- Japanese  alli- 
ance in  those  days.  So  thinking,  he  cut  it  out. 
As  Shakespeare  says,  “this  was  the  most  unkindest 
cut  of  all.” 

Six  years  later,  however,  when  Lord  Beresford 
came  to  Japan  to  persuade  us  to  form  an  Anglo- 
Japanese  alliance,  and  nine  years  later  when  it 
came  into  actual  existence,  what  an  infinite  pleasure 
and  self -pride  did  I feel!  So  much  so  that  I felt 
pain  that  my  essay  had  been  cut  off,  as  much  as  I 
felt  pleasure  and  pride  when  it  came  into  existence. 
Indeed,  what  one  thinks  impossible  to-day  turns 
out  to  be  quite  possible  to-morrow. 

Thus,  you  insist  upon  the  Peace  of  the  World  and 
are  ridiculed  by  the  actualists  to-day,  but  when  it 
is  realized,  you  will  feel  happiness  and  satisfaction 
then.  And  we  have  strong  reasons  to  believe  that 
the  Peace  of  the  World  is  more  assured  than  ever. 
Among  others,  I can  mention  five  reasons: 

1.  The  costliness  of  army  and  navy  increase. 
Nowadays  even  the  greatest  and  wealthiest  state 
is  painfully  conscious  that  the  expenses  of  army 
and  navy  increase  yearly  too  fast,  multiplying  by 
leaps  and  bounds,  and  that  there  must  be  foimd 
some  means  to  check  or  limit  them.  We  can  fairly 


Prospect  of  the  Peace  of  the  World  215 


see  that  even  England  is  much  troubled  by  this 
question.  And  Mr.  Asquith,  the  Prime  Minister 
of  England,  is  quite  justified  in  putting  the  ques- 
tion at  the  Lord  Mayor’s  dinner:  “Is  it  not  time 
for  the  statesmen  and  the  men  of  business  to  take 
coimsel  together  to  secure  the  saner  and  the  more 
fruitful  appropriation  of  the  common  resources  of 
humankmd?’’  And  Mr.  Winston  Churchill,  First 
Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  is  quite  right  to  offer  to 
Germany  a “naval  holiday,’’  or  to  limit  the 
increase  of  the  navy  in  a certain  ratio  to  be  agreed 
upon.  These  being  the  phenomena  at  present, 
it  is  only  one  step  farther  to  reach  an  under- 
standing to  limit  army  and  navy  increase,  and  to 
secure  the  Peace  of  the  World. 

2.  The  great  development  of  commerce  and 
trade  necessitates  putting  an  end  to  war.  The 
great  interests  involved  in  commerce  and  trade 
are  now  too  great  to  be  sacrificed  to  satisfy  the 
passions  or  the  bloodthirstiness  of  ambitious 
monarchs.  The  world  is  passing  from  the  poetical 
age  to  the  prosaic;  from  feeling  to  reason;  from 
passions  to  figures. 

3.  The  wonderful  progress  in  the  means  of 
commtmication  made  our  earth  ten  times  smaller 
than  before.  And  what  was  once  called  the  Far 
East  is  not  the  Far  East  now\  Thus  we  can  go  and 
come  more  frequently,  and  by  imderstanding  and 
sympathizing  wfith  each  other  we  come  into  closer 
and  closer  connection;  and  there  is  less  fear  of 
taking  the  law  into  our  own  hands. 


2i6  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


4.  By  the  arbitration  treaties  being  entered 
into  between  so  many  states,  almost  ninety-nine 
controversies  out  of  a hundred  will  be  settled  by 
peaceful  means.  And,  with  Mr.  Bryan,  we  con- 
gratulate ourselves  that  what  he  is  intending  will  be 
approved  in  the  near  future  and  will  be  recognized 
by  almost  all  the  civilized  friendly  powers. 

5.  Institutions  like  our  Inter-parliamentary 
Union  or  the  Peace  Conference  or  the  League  of 
International  Amity,  which,  I am  told,  are  more 
than  five  himdred  in  number,  working  separately 
or  combinedly,  should  necessarily  lead  the  dif- 
ferent governments  and  peoples  in  the  direction 
of  right  of  justice,  and  of  brotherhood  of  all  the 
nations. 

These  five  reasons,  besides  others,  co-operating, 
are  sure  to  secure  the  Peace  of  the  World.  And 
I dare  say  that  Peace  is  now  a religion  believed  in 
by  almost  all  the  enlightened  men  and  women  of 
modem  civilized  states ; and  as  one  of  the  founders 
of  this  religion,  I am  sure,  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie 
is  certainly  and  fairly  worthy. 

Some  Europeans  think  that  Japan  is  a warlike 
nation.  But  this  is  a serious  error.  It  is  an 
historically  proved  fact  that  Japan  has  never 
resorted  to  arms  unless  her  national  dignity  was 
threatened,  or  her  great  interests  were  at  stake — 
imless  she  believes  that  man  and  God  are  on  her 
side.  Then  only,  does  she  appeal  to  the  court  of 
Mars,  the  God  of  War.  Our  late  Emperor,  Meiji 
Tenno,  was  a great  peace-loving  monarch;  and 


Prospect  of  the  Peace  of  the  World  217 

the  present  Emperor,  strictly  adhering  to  his 
father’s  policy,  is  absolutely  the  same;  and  we 
Japanese,  to  whom  the  Emperor’s  will  is  more 
than  law,  have  nothing  but  to  obey  the  command 
of  our  peace-loving  monarch.  To  say  that  Japan 
is  a warlike  nation,  I repeat  it,  is  a grievous 
mistake. 

Again,  Japan  is  not  a forgetful  nation,  nor  is 
she  an  ungrateful  nation.  She  will  never  forget 
that  it  was  America  that  introduced  her  to  the 
world  so  peacefully  and  honourably.  She  will 
never  forget  that  it  was  America  that  expressed 
the  greatest  sympathy  with  her  at  the  time  of  the 
late  Russo-Japanese  War;  and  she  will  never 
forget  that  Mrs.  Maggie  came  to  Japan  with  her 
friends,  and  kindly  attended  our  sick  and  w'ounded 
soldiers;  and  that  Ivir.  Roosevelt,  then  President 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  undertook  for 
the  sake  of  humanity  to  hasten  the  ending  of  the 
war,  by  which  Japan  and  Russia  were  saved 
hundred  thousands  of  lives  and  millions  of  treasure. 
And  Japan  is  always  seeking  to  continue  and 
strengthen  the  cordial  relations  which  have 
existed  for  more  than  half  a century,  and  that 
were  renewed  and  invigorated  so  recently,  between 
the  two  great  nations  on  the  Pacific.  And  I hope 
and  believe  that  this  old  and  desirable  relationship 
will  be  cemented  more  firmly  by  your  able  hands 
and  sympathetic  hearts,  and  we  will  do  our  best 
also.  Thus  America  and  Japan  shall  surely  con- 
tribute most  in  securing  the  Peace  of  the  World. 


2i8  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


To  secure  the  Peace  of  the  World  is  the  greatest 
ambition;  and  as  Mr.  Gladstone  said,  we  shall 
believe  “the  greatest  ambition  is  the  highest 
morality.” 


JAPAN  AND  AMERICANISM 


NAOICHI  MASAOKA,  EDITOR 


[Mr.  Naoichi  Masaoka,  author;  bom  Sept.  5,  1881,  at  Hiro- 
shima; studied  at  the  Aoyama  Gakuin  (a  mission  school); 
began  his  career  as  author  at  the  early  age  of  twenty;  in  1905,  he 
was  correspondent  at  Portsmouth  for  the  Yamato  Shimbun 
. (a  daily);  in  1909,  he  visited  America  again  attending  the 
Honorary  Commercial  Commission  of  Japan;  he  is  the  author 
of  Beikoku  Kembutsu  (A  Peep  into  American  Life),  Beikoku 
Oyobi  Beikokujin  (a  bulky  volume  of  1300  pages  on  America 
and  the  Americans),  Beikoku  Bocho  Ron  {American  Expansion), 
and  many  other  books.] 

While,  day  by  day,  civilization  progresses,  the 
means  of  communication  improve,  and  the 
distances  in  the  world  are  being  shortened,  it  is  a 
pity  that  great  mistmderstandings  should  still 
exist  between  nations.  In  the  past  few  decades 
those  books  which  famous  authors  in  Europe  have 
written  about  America  have  done  much  to  break 
down  European  prejudices  against  the  Republic. 
Though  from  different  motives  and  with  different 
degrees  of  effect,  such  writers  as  James  Bryce, 
Freeman,  Paul  Bourget,  Sir  George  Bates,  Mme. 
Blanc,  Miss  Emily  Faithful,  Paul  de  Rousiers, 
Max  O’Rell,  Stevens,  Hugo  Munsterberg,  J. 
Fullerton  Muirhead,  H.  G.  Wells,  etc.,  have  con- 

219 


220  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


tributed  to  the  enlightenment  of  the  general 
public  in  Europe  on  the  subject  of  America.  But 
nothing  is  more  difficult  than  for  one  nation  fully  to 
understand  another.  Not  a few  persons  of  erudi- 
tion and  experience  have  misunderstood  America, 
seeing  that  they  have  declared  her  to  be  one  of  the 
worst  countries  in  the  world.  An  English  noble- 
man once  said  that  his  legs  felt  like  a jelly-fish 
after  only  four  hours’  walk  in  New  York,  and  his 
dissatisfaction  with  some  roads  in  that  metropolis 
seems  to  have  led  to  a long  chapter  of  abuses  on 
things  American.  To  learn  that  a man  of  Matthew 
Arnold’s  intelligence  could  not  free  himself  from  a 
preconceived  notion  against  the  United  States, 
is  a matter  for  great  regret.  One  recognizes  the 
strength  of  his  arguments  and  the  sharp  wit  of  his 
observations,  but  cannot  help  doubting  whether 
this  great  writer  understood  the  American  people 
at  all,  when  he  railed  at  them  as  philistines.  This 
shows  how  difficult  it  is  for  anybody  to  know  a 
foreign  people.  Some  Japanese,  too,  are  not 
quite  free  from  this  international  misimderstand- 
ing,  which  is  chiefly  due  to  lack  of  information. 

How,  then,  have  they  come  to  underestimate 
Americans?  To  my  thinking,  it  is  through  the 
following  circumstances.  First,  American  mis- 
sionaries working  in  this  country  have  been 
comparatively  poor  in  scholarship.  The  Japanese, 
who  have  spent  many  centuries  in  their  insular 
hermitage,  receiving  little  impulse  from  the  outer 
world,  are  a people  of  a meditative  mood,  and  their 


Japan  and  Americanism 


221 


religious  conception  is,  in  a sense,  far  more  ad- 
vanced than  that  of  the  Americans,  whose  chief 
national  concern  has  been  the  development  of 
material  prosperity  since  the  beginning  of  their 
history.  Buddhism,  Shintoism,  and  other  re- 
ligions are  by  no  means  such  superficial  things  as 
Westerners  suppose  them  to  be.  To  propagate 
Christianity  in  such  a country  is,  therefore,  a work 
that  nobody  except  those  in  possession  of  a know- 
ledge superior  to  the  average  Japanese  religionist 
can  hope  to  undertake  with  any  prospect  of 
success.  The  founders  and  reformers  of  many 
sects  of  Buddhism  or  Shintoism  in  Japan  were, 
every  one  of  them,  men  who  could  well  rival 
Luther,  Wesley,  or  Knox  in  calibre.  Nay,  we  are 
sure,  with  no  trace  of  patriotic  weakness,  that 
some  of  them  were  even  their  superiors,  so  far  as 
scholarship  is  concerned.  Thus,  those  American 
missionaries  that  treated  us  as  semi-barbarous  dis- 
appointed and  often  worked  us  into  resentment. 
This  is  still  the  case.  On  the  whole,  they  are  not 
being  so  much  respected  by  the  Japanese.  The  late 
Rev.  Dr.  D.  E.  Greene,  who  died  here  last  year, 
was  one  of  the  exceptions  to  the  rule.  He  was  held 
in  esteem  among  his  Japanese  friends;  but  it  was 
not  so  much  because  of  his  erudition  as  because  of 
his  character.  Little  wonder,  then,  that  mission- 
aries lacking  both  gain  no  respect  at  all  from  our 
people. 

Second,  while  American  merchants  in  Tokyo, 
Yokohama,  or  Kobe  do  not  place  confidence  in  the 


222  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


Japanese  with  whom  they  transact  business,  the 
latter,  in  turn,  look  upon  the  former  as  mean 
creatures.  These  Americans  do  not  imderstand 
our  national  character,  though  they  pretend  that 
they  are  quite  familiar  with  it.  It  is  their  belief 
that  the  average  Japanese  is  a liar  and  that 
Japanese  merchants  are  dishonest;  and  they  are 
apt  to  treat  them  as  a race  inferior  to  themselves. 
How  can  we  expect  mutual  harmony  and  confi- 
dence from  such  a state?  With  a few  exceptions, 
the  American  business  men  in  this  coimtry  are 
sadly  wanting  in  character  and  education.  One  of 
them  came  to  Japan  as  a vagabond  sailor  and 
made  a fortime  by  mere  chance  and  shrewdness. 
While  I fully  appreciate  the  American  adaptability, 
I cannot  think  that  it  is  to  the  interest  of  the 
United  States  that  men  of  ill  breeding  should  have 
availed  themselves  of  their  new  circumstances  to 
become  upstarts  and  represent  their  nation  in 
Japan.  Says  Dr.  Jordan,  ex-president  of  the 
Leland  Stanford  Junior  University,  “Japan  could 
not  afford  to  be  judged  by  her  least  attractive 
and  least  efficient  representatives  [labourers  in 
California].”  There  are,  indeed,  no  American 
labourers  in  Japan,  but  the  American  merchants 
resident  in  this  country  are  misrepresenting 
America  to  us  to  her  great  disadvantage. 

Third,  Japanese  returned  from  the  United 
States  after  observing  their  darker  side  only,  talk 
of  the  defects  and  evils  in  American  life.  These 
men  did  not  come  into  contact  with  the  best 


Japan  and  Americanism 


223 


classes  of  Americans.  Some  had  crossed  the 
Pacific  solely  for  the  purpose  of  making  money 
by  labour.  Moreover,  it  is  a weakness  inherent 
in  human  nature  to  look  at  the  demerits  of  any- 
thing rather  than  at  its  merits,  and  many  Japanese 
have  come  home  to  be  regarded  as  “authorities” 
on  America  because  of  their  being  familiar  with 
the  wrong  side  of  the  picture.  American  news- 
papers which  use  strong  language  in  disclosing 
and  attacking  political  corruption  as  well  as 
business  unlawfulness,  were  certainly  important 
factors  to  inform  them  of  the  “true  conditions” 
in  the  States.  This  is  not  to  say  that  the  attitude 
and  practice  of  the  American  press  are  altogether 
wrong;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  not  seldom  the 
e.xpression  of  the  spirit  of  self-perfection,  of  self- 
development.  To  my  regret,  however,  Yankee 
journalism  has  furnished  half-educated  Japanese 
with  their  material  for  criticizing  Americanism. 

All  these  circumstances  have  combined  to  make 
the  popular  Japanese  view  of  America  erroneous. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  encouraging  to  find  that  a 
number  of  writers,  publicists,  journalists,  and 
business  men  are  making  serious  study  of  the 
civilization  and  institutions  of  the  great  Republic. 
Such  men  understand  it  better  than  most  Ameri- 
cans imderstand  Japan.  It  may  be  partly  be- 
cause we  are  under  the  urgent  necessity  of  knowing 
our  Pacific  neighbour;  but,  in  view  of  serious 
trouble  occurring  through  international  mis- 
understanding, is  it  not  well  that  Americans  begin 


224  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


a study  of  Japan  and  the  Japanese?  A long  time 
ago,  Townshend  Harris,  the  first  consular  repre- 
sentative in  Japan  of  the  United  States,  said,  in 
effect,  that  nothing  taxed  his  brain  so  much  as  the 
Mikado  of  Dai  Nippon.  How  many  Americans 
of  to-day  imderstand  what  this  Mikado  is?  A 
moment’s  consideration  of  this  question  will  show 
that  the  American  knowledge  of  Japan  has  little 
improved  since  the  times  of  Mr,  Harris.  For 
instance,  there  are  a considerable  number  of  men 
in  America  who  believe  in  the  possibility  of  an 
American -Japanese  War,  while  such  an  idea  has 
never  entered  the  heads  of  right-minded  Japanese. 
We  still  consider  America  as  a reliable  friend,  even 
as  a senior.  Men  who  have  been  educated  in  the 
States  are  holding  influential  positions  in  every 
department  of  Japanese  life.  They  have  made 
quite  as  much  contribution  to  the  making  of 
modem  Japan  as  those  who  received  English, 
German,  or  French  education.  The  late  Marquis 
Komura,  one  of  the  greatest  diplomats  we  have 
ever  produced,  was  a Harvard  man;  Viscount 
Kentaro  Kaneko,  a privy  councillor,  is  another; 
Baron  T.  Megata,  an  influential  member  of  the 
House  of  Peers,  is  a third;  Dr,  Inazo  Nitob6,  a 
thought-leader  in  this  coimtry,  is  a holder  of  an 
American  LL.D.;  Miss  Ume  Tsuda,  one  of  the 
foremost  woman  educationalists  Japan  can  hold 
up  to  the  world,  is  a graduate  from  an  American 
college;  Admiral  Baron  Sotokichi  Uryu  studied 
tactics  at  Annapolis;  Baron  Hisaya  Iwasaki,  a 


Japan  and  Americanism 


225 


multi-millionaire,  Viscount  Yataro  Mishima,  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Bank  of  Japan,  the  Hon.  Kojiro 
Matsukata,  President  of  the  Kawasaki  Ship- 
building Yard,  Mr.  Otohiko  Matsukata,  Standing 
Director  of  the  Japan  Oil  Co.,  Mr.  Manzo  Kushida, 
Managing  Director  of  the  Mitsu  Bishi  Banking 
Department,  Mr.  Tamio  Hayashi,  Managing 
Director  of  the  Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha — these  are 
every  one  of  them  a “made-in  America.”  To 
enumerate  all  such  names  and  explain  their 
activities  in  this  country  would  require  a full 
chapter;  be  it  sufficient  for  my  present  purpose 
to  note  that  many  younger  men  and  women  who 
were  students  in  America  are  taking  an  active 
part  in  Japanese  life;  and  that,  through  these  and 
other  mediums,  the  thinking  people  in  Japan  are 
able  to  imderstand  what  America  is,  as  fully  as 
any  foreigners  can  understand  without  living 
among  Americans  in  America.  Many  of  our 
leading  business-men  have  been  to  the  States  and 
recognize  that  Japan’s  commercial  relations  with 
them  are  by  far  more  important  than  those  with 
Europe.  It  is  these  business-men  that  have 
always  been  striving  to  promote  good  fellowship 
between  the  two  nations. 

That  we  can  appreciate  American  ideals  and 
point  of  view  is  evident  from  the  respect  we  pay 
to  America’s  great  citizens.  Colonel  Roosevelt 
has  deservedly  won  many  admirers  in  this  country. 
Their  admiration  is  so  great  that  a certain  vernacu- 
lar paper  once  mocked  them  by  saying  “Roose- 
15 


226  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


velt  is  not  the  President  of  Japan.”  When  the 
“Possible  Chapters  of  an  Autobiography”  by  him 
appeared  in  the  Outlook,  several  Japanese  journals 
published  translations,  to  the  enthusiastic  dehght 
of  their  readers.  Abraham  Lincoln  is  also  greatly 
admired  by  many  Japanese,  and  there  are  half  a 
dozen  biographies  of  him  here.  The  anecdote  of 
Washington  and  his  father’s  hatchet  being  inserted 
in  an  elementary  school  text-book,  Japanese 
children  are  inspired  through  it  that  honesty  is 
not  only  the  best  poHcy  but  also  a great  virtue. 
To  us,  the  eloquence  of  Webster  and  Patrick 
Henry  is  a fact  as  familiar  as  the  loyalty  of 
General  Nogi . B en j amin  Frankhn  ’ s A utobiography 
is  used  in  many  middle-schools  as  a text-book  of 
Enghsh,and  otur  boys  and  girls,  as  they  take  lessons 
from  it  every  day  of  the  week,  become  so  familiar 
with  him  that  they  feel  as  if  his  were  not  a foreign 
name.  Of  the  diplomatic  representatives  America 
has  sent  to  us,  Mr.  Harris  is  looked  upon  by  us 
as  the  noblest  character  and  as  a benefactor  in  a 
sense.  Commodore  Perry,  who  kindly  shook 
Japan  from  her  long  slumber,  is  a name  we  can 
never  forget.  On  the  southern  shore  of  Tok>"0 
Bay  stands  a monument  erected  in  commemora- 
tion of  him,  and  it  may  be  interesting  to  Ameri- 
can readers  to  learn  that  the  late  Emperor  Meiji 
graciously  donated  a sum  out  of  his  owm  pocket 
to  the  fund  for  building  this  Perry  monument. 

New  books  on  the  subject  of  America  and 
Americans  are  published  here  almost  every  month. 


Japan  and  Americanism 


227 


Some  of  them,  it  is  true,  abuse  America;  but,  on 
the  whole,  they  try  to  look  at  the  bright  side 
of  the  Repubhc.  Especially,  our  study  concerning 
the  American  educational  system  is  comprehensive, 
and  the  bulkiness  of  volumes  written  on  that 
subject  is  so  remarkable  that  one  wonders  why 
such  pubhcations  on  a comparatively  dry  topic 
can  find  a sufficient  circulation  to  meet  their  cost. 
Again,  American  magazines  are  being  widely  read 
among  our  people.  The  Review  of  Reviews, 
Atlantic  Monthly,  Outlook,  Independent,  North 
American  Review,  Scientific  American,  etc.,  are 
very  popular  with  us,  and  interesting  articles 
in  them  are  translated  and  published  by  our 
enterprising  newspapers  or  magazines.  Besides, 
even  such  high-pitched  periodicals  as  the  Yale 
Review,  the  American  Journal  of  International 
Law,  the  Annals  of  American  Academy  of  Political 
and  Social  Sciences,  and  others  find  subscribers 
among  Japanese.  Thus  the  products  of  American 
thinkers  and  scientists  form  an  important  part  of 
our  mental  diet. 

While,  until  not  long  ago,  American  literature 
was  little  imderstood  even  by  Englishmen,  the 
Japanese  in  the  Far  East  can  estimate  its  qualities 
aright.  Besides  Emerson,  Mrs.  Stowe,  Hawthorne, 
Mark  Twain,  Irving,  etc.,  whose  works  are  studied 
in  our  schools  and  colleges,  we  can  even  appreciate 
Walt  Whitman,  one  of  the  most  debated  of 
American  poets,  and  William  James,  whose 
pragmatic  philosophy  has  taught  the  world  what 


228  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


a man  is.  I may 'mention,  in  passing,  that  as  many 
as  forty  translations  from  Emerson  have  been  pub- 
lished with  more  or  less  success  in  this  country. 

It  is  not  only  books  and  magazines  that  have 
interpreted  America  to  Japanese.  An  important 
part  has  been  played  by  her  great  citizens  who 
have  visited  us.  From  General  Grant,  who  came 
to  this  Empire  about  thirty  years  ago,  to  Mr. 
Mabie,  the  first  American  exchange-professor, 
many  noble  men  have  been  our  guests,  and  their 
speeches  as  well  as  their  lectures  directly  breathed 
the  true  American  spirit  into  our  nostrils. 

Generally  speaking,  Japanese  returned  from 
America  have  proved  to  be  serviceable  men. 
Most  of  them  are  quite  free  from  the  haughtiness 
and  extravagance  of  European  aristocratism.  Be- 
side those  who  were  students  in  other  coimtries, 
our  American-made  men  are  more  active,  more 
independent,  and  more  enterprising.  This  has 
naturally  made  American  education  popular  in 
this  coimtry.  The  Doshisha  University,  the 
Japan  Women’s  University,  the  Aoyama  Gakuin, 
the  Meiji  Gakuin,  the  Kwansai  Gakuin — all  these 
are  among  the  greatest  institutions  in  Japan. 
They  are  inspiring  their  students  with  American 
ideals  through  an  American  system  of  education, 
and  no  wonder  that  the  graduates  from  them 
should  be  imbued  with  Americanism.  To  the 
growth  of  Japan’s  modem  civilization,  these 
colleges  and  universities  have  contributed  more 
than  others. 


Japan  and  Americanism 


229 


Lastly,  one  factor  that  draws  Japanese  boys  to 
their  American  compeers  morally  and  physically 
is  that  enlivening  game,  baseball.  It  is  a well- 
known  fact  that  our  boys  have  a strong  liking 
for  it.  So  far  as  amateur  players  are  concerned, 
Japan  has  the  strongest  teams  except  America. 
Several  years  ago,  Keio  played  a series  of  matches 
with  various  American  university  teams,  and 
returned  home  with  a satisfactory  record  of  fifty 
per  cent,  of  victories.  Wisconsin,  Washington, 
Chicago,  and  Stanford  have  sent  their  teams  to 
us ; the  latter  two  xmiversities  scored  more  victories 
than  defeats,  while  the  former  two  showed  bad 
results. 

Among  our  boys,  your  Wagner,  Cobb,  McGraw, 
Mathewson,  and  others  have  won  an  admiration 
bordering  on  worship.  Keio  and  Waseda,  two  of 
the  greatest  private  universities  in  Japan,  have 
sent  their  players  to  the  United  States  more  than 
once.  These  boys  came  into  direct  contact  with 
their  American  brothers  through  the  game,  with 
the  result  that  they  understand  America  better 
than  most  Europeans  of  their  age.  Neither 
regattas  nor  tennis  matches  attract  as  many 
spectators  in  this  country  as  baseball,  which  is 
congenial  to  Japanese  boys.  To  some  extent, 
they  cultivate  fair  play,  self-direction,  and  other 
characteristic  American  virtues  while  “playing 
the  game.” 


HISTORICAL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  WEST- 
ERN LEARNING  IN  JAPAN 


RITTS-ZOH  ODA,  ASS’t  EDITOR 

[Mr.  Ritts-zoh  Oda,  author  and  translator;  bom  Sept.,  1882, 
in  Tokyo;  sometime  chief  editor  of  the  Eigo  Sekai;  translator 
of  several  English  books  on  the  subject  of  America.] 


The  wonderful  development  of  Japan  in  the 
past  half-century  is  chiefly  due  to  education.  In 
1871,  with  a resolution  to  introduce  Western  civi- 
lization, our  Government  instituted  a national 
educational  system  and  established  schools,  col- 
leges, and  a university.  Nor  were  our  educa- 
tional efforts  confined  to  governmental  action. 
Not  a few  individuals  of  deep  insight  have  in  the 
past  contributed  largely  to  the  progress  of  their 
coimtry  by  guiding  and  enlightening  the  people. 

When  the  Shogunate  regime  was  flourishing, 
scholars  were  held  in  esteem  and  learning  was 
much  encouraged;  but,  then,  education  being 
almost  exclusively  in  Japanese  and  Chinese  litera- 
tures, people  were  quite  strangers  to  Western 
learning.  Later,  however,  the  seed  of  the  new 
Japanese  civilization  was  sowed,  when  the  study 
of  the  Dutch  language  began  in  this  coimtry. 

230 


Western  Learning  in  Japan  231 


In  the  Kyoho  Era  (1716-46),  Nishi-Zenzaburo, 
Yoshino-Kosaku,  and  some  other  ofScial  inter- 
preters at  Nagasaki,  the  open  port,  were  taught 
Dutch  by  the  Dutchmen  there  by  special  permis- 
sion of  Shogun  Yoshimrme.  The  citizens  of  Edo 
(old  name  for  Tokyo),  who  had  no  access  to 
foreigners  as  a result  of  the  isolation  policy  of  the 
Shogunate  Government,  could  not  enjoy  so  much 
facility  as  their  brethren  at  Nagasaki  in  regard  to 
the  study  of  a foreign  language.  Still,  several 
private  enthusiasts,  such  as  Aoki-Bimzo,  Mayeno- 
Ryotaku,  and  Sugita-Gempaku,  toiled  very  hard 
at  the  mastering  of  Dutch.  It  was  by  the  col- 
laboration of  the  latter  two  that  the  Kaitai  Shin- 
sho  was  translated  from  the  Dutch  original,  Tabul 
Anatoniia,  in  the  3d  year  of  An-ei  (1774).  Four 
years  had  been  spent  and  the  manuscripts  rewrit- 
ten eleven  times,  before  the  conscientious  trans- 
lators found  their  version  satisfactory  enough 
to  be  sent  forth.  Indeed,  their  success  laid  the 
foundation  stone  of  Japan’s  newer  civilization. 

By  and  by,  Dutch  learning  (we  had  better  put 
it  as  Dutch  medicine)  spread  in  this  country. 
Otsuki-Gentaku,  a disciple  of  the  above-mentioned 
Sugita-Gempaku,  was  first  appointed  as  official 
translator  to  the  Shogun’s  Government.  Another 
disciple,  Udagawa-Genki,  devoted  himself  to  the 
training  of  younger  men,  and  Tsuboi-Shindo, 
Mitsukuri-Gempo,  etc.,  made  brilliant  figures  un- 
der his  tuition.  Tsuboi-Shindo  trained  in  turn 
such  distinguished  scholars  as  Ogata-Koan  and 


232  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


Aoki-  Shuhitsu . Thus , the  Dutch  learning  in  J apan 
was  put  on  a firm  footing. 

This  is  a general  sketch  of  such  matters  tiU  five 
years  before  the  visit  of  the  American  Commodore 
Perry.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  up  to  this 
time  the  pioneers  of  Western  education  in  Japan 
were  all  medical  students;  but  in  the  9th  year  of 
Bunsei  (1826),  Aoki-Rinso,  nephew  to  Tsuboi- 
Shindo,  wrote  Kikai  Kanran,  and  in  the  loth  year 
of  Tempo  (1839),  Udagawa-Yoan,  adopted  son  of 
Genki,  published  Seimi  Kaishu,  which  two  books 
pioneered  the  study  of  physics  and  chemistry  in 
Japan.  While  there  was  such  a tendency  among 
the  people  to  introduce  outward  civilization,  the 
Government  adhered  so  much  to  its  conservative 
policy  that  it  strictly  prohibited  the  publication 
of  scientific  books,  except  medical  ones.  Thus, 
Rin-Shihei,  who  was  a contemporary  of  Mayeno 
and  Sugita,  and  an  advocate  of  a progressive  plan 
of  coast  defence;  Takano-Choyei,  who  was  a 
statesmanlike  physician;  Watanabe- Kazan,  who 
was  a great  painter  and  Chinese  scholar;  all  fell 
victims  to  the  terrible  persecutions  of  the  Shogun- 
ate  Government  and  died  tragic,  unnatmal  deaths, 
because  they  published  their  views  on  the  political, 
economical,  or  military  questions  of  those  days. 

At  last,  in  the  ist  year  of  Ansei  (1854),  the 
pressure  of  America,  England,  France,  and  Russia 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  Government,  which 
abandoned  its  isolation  policy  and  concluded 
provisional  treaties  with  these  powers.  By  that 


Western  Learning  in  Japan  233 


time,  the  study  of  the  Dutch  language  had  spread 
throughout  the  country  and  the  poptdar  dissemi- 
nators of  the  new  system  of  learning  had  increased. 
I may  mention,  among  others,  the  names  of  Katsu- 
Rintaro  (later  Count  Katsu-Awa),  Omura-Ma- 
sujiro,  Hashimoto-Sanai,  Fukuzawa-Yukichi, 
Nagayo-Sensai,  Otori-Keisuke  (later  Baron 
Otori),  Hanabusa-Gishitsu  (later  Viscount  Hana- 
busa),  Sano-Tsunetami  (later  Coimt  Sano),  Ikeda- 
Kensai,  Mitsukuri-Shuhei,  etc. 

About  this  time,  at  the  small  town  of  Sakura,  in 
Shimosa  province,  a hospital  was  fotmded  by 
Sato-Taizen,  a recognized  authority  on  Dutch 
learning.  It  was  known  as  the  Juntendo  and  was 
the  first  private  hospital  ever  established  in  Japan. 

In  the  5th  year  of  Ansei  (1858),  Fukuzawa- 
Yukichi,  a distinguished  disciple  of  Ogata-Koan, 
laid  the  foimdation  of  the  present  Keio  University 
and  began  to  train  boys  in  Western  sciences  and 
arts.  He  led  his  pupils  with  a practical  ethical 
doctrine  characteristic  of  himself.  Up  to  now,  as 
many  as  20,000  men  have  been  turned  out  by 
this  institution.  It  was  organized  into  a univer- 
sity in  1890,  and  was  made  to  consist  of  four 
faculties — literatures,  economics,  law,  and  politics. 
It  is  the  pioneer  of  our  universities. 

Several  years  later,  another  institution  was  es- 
tablished at  Kyoto  and  was  christened  Doshisha. 
Mr.  Ni-ijima-Joh,  its  foimder,  had  transgressed  a 
prohibition  of  the  Shogunate  Government  and 
sought  refuge  abroad,  going  as  a sailor  on  an 


234  Japan’s  Message  to  America 


American  ship.  What  adversity  he  had  to  fight 
against  while  prosecuting  his  studies  in  Europe  and 
America!  But  he  was  a man  of  strong  will,  and 
came  back  home  in  1874  fully  prepared  to  fulfil 
his  mission  to  contribute  to  the  reconstruction  of 
Japan.  With  the  support  of  Alpheus  Hardy,  an 
American  citizen,  he  founded  the  Doshisha,  the 
object  of  which  was  to  educate  young  men  on  the 
Christian  principle  tmder  the  motto  “Man  doth 
not  live  by  bread  only.” 

Waseda  University,  the  largest  of  our  private 
educational  institutions,  was  estabhshed  by  Count 
Okuma  and  some  of  his  friends  in  1882.  Okuma 
had  received  an  English  education;  after  holding 
the  portfolios  of  finance  and  foreign  affairs,  he 
became  Premier,  and  he  had  been  an  active  leader 
of  the  progressists  for  many  years.  But  through- 
out his  varied  career,  he  has  invariably  exerted 
himself  in  the  cause  of  his  university  and  is  now  its 
chancellor.  To  it  are  attached  a middle-school, 
an  elementary  technical  school,  and  a short-course 
law  school.  Waseda  is  the  most  prosperous  of  all 
the  private  colleges  and  universities  in  Japan. 

This  brief  historical  sketch  of  the  Japanese 
educational  movement  would  not  be  complete 
if  I omitted  such  names  as  the  late  Viscount  Mori- 
Yurei,  Ex-Minister  of  Education,  who  founded 
the  Tokyo  Higher  Commercial  School;  Shaku- 
Shimpachi,  who  established  the  Kyoritsu  Gakusha; 
Nakamura  Seichoku,  who  was  the  founder  of  the 
Dojinsha  Institute;  Kondo-Makoto,  who  made  it 


Western  Learning  in  Japan  235 


his  life-work  to  bring  up  naval  officers;  and  Tsuda- 
Sen,  who  opened  a certain  agricultural  college. 
Thanks  to  the  endeavours  of  all  these  men,  the 
non-govemmental  educational  system  in  this  coun- 
try has  developed  to  its  present  stage.  Japan  has 
now  a number  of  excellent  private  colleges  and 
universities.  Besides  the  two  older  institutions 
of  Keio  and  Waseda,  there  are,  in  Tokyo,  Meiji, 
Chuo,  Hogakuin,  Kokugakuin,  Hosei,  and  Nippon; 
while  among  the  most  famous  seats  of  learning  in 
the  local  provinces  are  Doshisha  University,  Osaka 
Medical  School,  Osaka  Law  School,  and  Chiba 
Medical  School. 

To  be  succinct.  Western  learning  in  Japan 
originated  some  150  years  ago  in  medicine  and 
pervaded  the  country  in  the  order  of  physics, 
chemistry,  literature,  economics,  and  politics,  un- 
til, in  the  beginning  of  the  Meiji  Era,  European 
ethics  and  moral  philosophy  were  first  introduced. 


THE  END 


Books  on  Japan 


An  Exposition  of  Japanese  Thought 

Bushido 

The  Soul  of  Japan 

By  Inazo  Nitobe,  A.M.,  Ph.D. 

Professor  in  the  Imperial  University  of  Kyoto 
Tenth  Revised  and  Enlarged  Edition.  $t.2S  net. 
By  mail,  $1.55 

This  book  is  <>o  packed  with  thought,  so  attractive  in  style,  so 
rich  in  comparative  illustrations  of  Oriental  and  Occidental  ways  of 
looking  at  things,  with  here  and  there  a touch  of  satire,  but  never 
bigoted  or  narrow,  that  it  is  diflScult  to  express  its  subtle  charm  in 
a paragraph. 

By  George  William  Knox,  D.D,, 

Professor  of  the  History  and  Philosophy  of  Religion  in  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  and  Sometime  Professor  of  Phi- 
losophy and  Ethics  at  the  Imperial  University,  Tokyo 

Japanese  Life  in  Town  and 
Country 

Cr.  8vo.  Fully  illustrated.  $1.20  net.  By  mail, 
$1.30.  No.  2 in  ” Our  .Asiatic  Neighbours.” 

**  A delightful  book,  all  the  more  welcome  because  the  ablest 
scholar  in  Japanese  Confucianism  that  America  has  yet  produced 
has  here  given  us  impressions  of  man  and  nature  in  the  Archipelago." 

Evening  Post, 

The  Development  of  Re- 
ligion in  Japan 

Cr.  8 VO.  $1.50  net.  By  mail,  $1.65 
No.  VI.  in  " Atnerican  Lectures  oo  the  History  of  Rellgioas." 

“ A notable  addition  to  this  excellent  series.” — The  Churchman. 

“ The  author  is  peculiarly  qualified  for  appreciative  treatment  of 
his  subject." — The  Outlook. 


The 

Japanese  Nation 

Its  Land,  Its  People,  and  Its  Life 

With  Special  Consideration  to  Its  Relations  with  the 
United  States 

By  Inazo  Nitobe,  A.M.,  Ph.D. 

Professor  in  the  Imperial  University  of  Tokyo,  President 

of  the  First  National  College,  Japan,  Author  of 
“ Bushido,”  etc. 

Cr.  8uo.  With  a Map.  .50  net. 

A thorough  study  of  Japan  by  one  of  her  foremost 
scholars.  It  is  one  of  the  very  few  existing  accounts  of 
this  much  misunderstood  nation.  The  book  is  thoroughly 
vital,  infused  with  thought,  brilliant  in  style,  and  should 
prove  serviceable  to  all  who  want  to  arrive  at  a true  im- 
pression of  the  Japanese  people. 

The  volume  treats  of  the  following  subjects  : The  East 
and  the  West — The  Land  or  Geographical  Features  in 
their  Relation  to  the  Inhabitants — The  Past  in  its  Signifi- 
cance to  the  Present — Race  and  National  Characteristics — 
Religious  Beliefs — Morals  and  Moral  Ideals — Education 
and  Educational  Problems — Economic  Conditions — Japan 
as  Coloniser — American-Japanese  Intercourse  Prior  to  the 
Advent  of  Perry — The  Relations  between  the  United  States 
and  Japan — American  Influence  in  the  Far  East — Peace 
over  the  Pacific. 


New  York  G.  P.  Putnam’s  Sons  London 


Bushido 

The  Soul  of  Japan 

An  Exposition  of  Japanese  Thought 
By 

Inazo  Nitobe,  A.M.,  Ph.D. 

Professor  in  the  Imperial  University  of  Tokyo 

President  of  the  First  National  College,  Japan 
Author  of  “The  Japanese  Nation” 

With  an  Introduction  by 
William  Elliott  Griffis 

Author  of  “The  Religion  of  Japan,”  etc. 

Tenth  Revised  and  Enlarged  Edition.  12° 
$1.25  net.  {By  mail,  $1.35) 

A revised  and  enlarged  edition  of  a book  whose  subtle 
charm  it  is  difficult  to  express  in  a paragraph.  It  is  so 
packed  with  thought ; so  attractive  in  style  ; so  rich  in 
comparative  illustrations  of  Oriental  and  Occidental  ways 
of  looking  at  things,  with  here  and  there  a touch  of  satire, 
but  never  bigoted  or  narrow. 

“ Bushido  ” is  the  Japanese  feudal  equivalent  of  chivalry. 
Literally  it  may  be  translated,  “ Military  Knights’  Ways,’’ 
or  “ Precepts  of  Knighthood.”  It  embodies  the  maxims 
of  educational  training  brought  to  bear  on  the  Samurai,  or 
warrior  class  of  Japan,  the  class  that  throughout  the  nation’s 
feudal  age,  which  ended  only  fifty  years  ago,  set  the  stand- 
ard to  the  whole  people  in  manners,  ideals  of  character, 
and  mental  and  moral  codes  of  obligation. 

“ Bushido”  was  an  organic  growth  of  centuries  of  mili- 
tary careers.  It  is  unwritten,  like  the  English  Constitu- 
tion, yet  out  of  it  has  grown  the  Japan  of  to-day. 


G.  P.  Putnam’s  Sons 

New  York  London 


The  Great  Illusion 

By  Norman  Angell 

A Study  of  the  Relation  of  Military 
Power  to  National  Advantage. 

Fourth  Edition  Revised  with  Additional  Material 
Crown  8°.  $1.00 

“Mr.  Angell  throws  into  the  dust-bin  the  worn-out 
theories,  the  axioms  of  statecraft,  the  shibboleths  of 
diplomats,  the  mouthings  of  politicasters,  as  to  the 
necessity  of  war.  And  from  this  to  a brilliant  arraign- 
ment of  standing  armies  and  navies  and  war  establish- 
ments of  all  kinds  is  but  another  step  in  Mr.  Angell’s 
altogether  splendid  monograph.  To  use  a familiar 
phrase,  no  book  of  similar  trend  in  recent  years  has 
caused  so  many  thinking  men  to  sit  up  and  take  notice.” 

St  Louis  GlobcDemocrat 


Arms  and  Industry 

A Study  of  the  Foundations  of  Inter- 
national Polity 

By  Norman  Angell 

Author  of  “ The  Great  Illusion,”  etc. 

12°.  $1.25 

In  this  book  the  author  of  “ The  Great  Illusion  ” shows 
systematically  and  scientifically,  though  with  the  same 
clearness  and  simplicity  which  mark  his  earlier  work,  the 
nature  of  those  forces  which  are  transforming  the  re- 
lationship of  states,  and  indeed,  to  some  extent,  the 
mechanism  of  organized  society  as  a whole. 


New  York  G.  P.  Putnam’s  Sons  London 


h 


Vi 


it 


DS810.M16 

Japan  to  America;  a symposium  of  papers 


Princeton  Theological  Semlnary-Speer  Library 


1 1012  00042  6587 


